Now What?
by Magemaster
Summary: Conner's cousin comes to visit...but that's only the tip of a very large iceburg.
1. Chapter 1

Now What?

Chapter 1

I DO NOT OWN POWER RANGERS! I ONLY OWN THE PLOT AND MY OC!

* * *

Conner wearily entered his home. It had been yet another tiring day between school, soccer, and yet another monster from Mesogog. This one had been rather pathetic, a cross between a tuna fish can and a monkey. Pathetic it may have been, but its punch hurt more then he cared to admit.

"Dad, are you here?" he called out, wondering why it was so quiet. Wondering through his house, he saw a note on the kitchen table.

_Conner-_

_I went to visit your brother and mom in Blue Bay Harbor. I should be back in a week or so. Remember your cousin is coming!_

_-Dad_

Conner winched at the mention of his cousin. He had several and he could only stand one. His dad could have at least told him which cousin was coming. Well, as long as only one of them was coming, he would be able to last the week at least. Besides, how bad could it be?

* * *

Conner groaned when he heard the pounding at the door. He looked at the clock beside his bed. Who on Earth would be knocking on his door at ten thirty at night? Grumbling, he stood from his bed and headed upstairs from his basement bedroom to the front door. Yanking it open, he scowled at the person standing there.

"What do you want?"

The girl raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that how you greet all the people who knock on your door Conner? And did you forget to do something?"

Conner blinked…and blinked again. Karise, his lone female cousin (and the only one he actually liked, lucky for him) was standing on his front porch dressed in her usual black jeans, black long-sleeved shirt underneath a green t-shirt, and black boots with green laces. Her hair was as short as it had always been, with streaks of green in the black locks and she had, he noticed it was the one he had given her, a dark green hat on her head and green fingerless gloves on her hands.

"Um, I'm sorry?" he tried. Luckily Karise grinned up at him.

"No big deal, not like I had to walk far. Some guy who called himself Dr. Oliver gave me a lift part of the way." She turned around and waved at the jeep still sitting at the curb. Conner looked up at his teacher/Power Ranger mentor and grinned sheepishly.

"Thanks Dr. O," he yelled, watching as Tommy nodded and waved at them both before driving off. He had some thinking to do when he got home, and quite a bit of it revolved around how Conner was going to keep his cousin from figuring out about his secret.

"So, are we goin' to stand 'ere all night or are we gonna get inside?" Karise had the most interesting accent when she choose to let it come into her speech.

"Yea, come on," Conner moved aside and Karise entered, dropping her two duffle bags and backpack next to the door. She grinned at the sight of the living room where most of her favorite memories were held.

"So is my room still made up or am I goin' to be sleepin' on the couch?"

"You can sleep in my bed for tonight and we can take care of your room tomorrow." Conner told her. Unlike his male cousins, who at home each had his own good sized room with plenty of space, Karise had a room roughly the size of two closets, maybe three. Here, she had her own room and therefore it was where she kept everything she didn't want her brothers to steal or her family in general to find.

"I don't want to shove you out of your room Conner; I can sleep on the couch." What she didn't tell him was that she had been sleeping on a couch ever since Kris and Jeff, her twin brothers, had needed more space for their junk. She had been moved into a small corner of the basement, and unlike Conner's room, hers was far from the comfortable abode her beloved cousin's was.

Conner shrugged, "I won't be sleeping on the couch either, but my bed is more comfortable than a sleepingbag on my floor. Before you say anything, I would insist on the same thing with any of my female friends, the only difference is that we'll be sharing the room." His room was under the entire house, meaning that there was more than enough room for them both to be comfortable. After all, just a few weeks ago, he had had both Ethan and Kira sleeping in there as well as himself and it had not caused any major problems.

Karise rolled her eyes, but didn't say another word. Conner was quite possibly the only person, other than Uncle Sam, that actually loved her for her. She would quite possibly do anything to please them, as she was certain that they were the two people she loved the most in the world.

Together the two cousins went downstairs, and only taking a few minutes to get his sleepingbag out, they two went to bed, completely unaware of what Fate held in store for them.

* * *

The next morning started out almost as it always did for Conner, get up, shower, grab a granola bar for breakfast, and head out to school. Almost…only this morning he awoke to the smells of breakfast cooking. It only took him a few minutes to realize that Karise wasn't in his bed and only a few seconds after that for him to make it to the kitchen just as Karise slid the omelet onto the plate. The entire table was set with an entire meal.

"How early did you get up to do all of this?" He asked, grabbing a biscuit that was still warm from the oven.

Karise shrugged, "About an hour or so ago. I already showered, in case you want to use it."

Conner nodded, noting that something seemed…off about his cousin. Pushing this thought aside for the moment, he sat down and began to stuff his face with the food in front of him. He praised Karise's skill in the kitchen, asking her when she had gotten so good. She shrugged, eating her breakfast at a much slower pace than her cousin.

"What time do you have to be to school by?"

Conner looked at the kitchen clock, just now realizing that it was only going on six thirty. "School starts at seven thirty, so I've got at least thirty minutes to get ready." He finished off the last bite of his meal. "What do you plan to do today?" Karise went to a year round school, meaning that she had from yesterday to about three weeks off from school before going back for two and a half months.

Karise blushed, "actually, I was hoping you wouldn't mind if I attended Reefside with you for the remainder of the school year." Conner blinked in surprise. Because of how her school and mind worked, Karise, two years his younger, was a high school senior like he and his friends were.

"Sure, but what about your school?" He didn't think it would be a good idea for her to start something here when she would have to leave in three weeks or so.

"I was expelled," Karise didn't look at him, fearing the look of disgust she was sure would be on his face.

"You, expelled? How on Earth did that happen?" Karise didn't get into trouble; Conner knew that better than anyone. She was smart, athletic, brave, and would easily make an awesome ranger if she ever got the chance.

"I doubt you would believe me, no one else did."

Conner didn't even think about what came out of his mouth next. "Not believe you? Karise, you are one of the most trustworthy people I know of. Who wouldn't believe you when you were telling the truth?"

Karise felt tears well up and despite her best attempts to stop them, traced tracks down her face. "Jeff and Kris placed stink bombs in the gym locker rooms; they went off as soon as the first bell did. I got blamed for it, since they used my trigger invention to make them go off like that. No one would believe me over my 'perfect' brothers. Not even my _friends_ believed me Conner! _Everyone_ sided with them! Mom even gave into _their_ demands for _my_ _room_!" By now Karise was really crying.

Conner only stared. How could someone do that to their sister and friend? He could name handfuls of times when Karise had done something or taken the blame for something Kris, Jeff, John, Greg, and/or Simon had done. This was how they repaid her. It wasn't right.

"It's okay Karise, I doubt anyone would mind then if you stayed here for at least the rest of the school year. It'll be fun. Besides, our old goalie is out with a busted arm and you would be a vast improvement over him any day. So you'd better get ready because I still have to get ready and pick up my friends."

Karise was gone before he had barely finished. Conner shook his head and hurried to get ready. Within a twenty minutes (thanks impart to his superspeed), they were both ready to go.

* * *

"It's about time you got here!" Kira said as she slid into Conner's car. "What took you so long?"

Conner grinned before answering. "My cousin's in town,"

"Hello," Karise popped up from behind Kira's seat, causing the yellow ranger to jump a bit. "I'm Karise, you must be Kira. Yellow looks good on you, wouldn't you say Conner?" Conner blushed as Karise turned to him. Kira looked between the two, deciding that they looked for more like siblings than cousins. "Are you gonna answer me Conner or just sit there blushing?" Karise grinned jokingly at her cousin.

"Um, yea, it does…" Conner couldn't have felt any more put on the spot.

"Glad that you agree, so who's next?" Karise knew quite a lot about Conner's friends, since they talked about just about everything.

"Ethan, are you going to ask me to agree if he looks good in blue or not?" Kira grinned and a giggle bubbled up before she could stop herself. The annoyed look on her friend's face combined with his comment couldn't have been any funnier if he had tried.

Karise grimaced, "of course not, you know I could care less about what males look like. Besides, why should either of us care, we ain't datin' 'im." Conner didn't respond, ignoring both girls as he pulled his car up to Ethan's house. Their blue ranger was waiting for them. He eagerly slid into the car, barely noticing the person he was sitting next to.

"Hey man, I can't wait for Saturday to get here! Do you have any idea what's happening?"

"The World Cup," chorused Conner and Karise, grinning at each other. Karise added, "Also, there's a new game coming out for several different game systems. It has the highest pre-sale total since the new PS3."

Ethan looked at the girl sitting beside him, "Wow Conner, when did you get a little sister?" The cousins burst out laughing.

"Maybe I should introduce myself," Karise grinned at the boy next to her, "I'm Karise McKnight, Conner's cousin. So, you're a big gamer?" The question set off a conversation between the two. Kira and Conner half listened as they made their way to school.

Once at school, Conner had just enough time to show Karise to the office and get her started on the paperwork before he had to go to his first period class. The secretary assured Conner that Karise would be fine, and that she would personally see to it that Karise got everything she needed.

Two periods later, Conner, Kira, Ethan, and Trent sat in Dr. O's class when the door opened and Principal Randall walked in followed by Karise. Dr. O looked up from where he was writing on the board, recognizing the girl he had given a ride to the night before.

"Can I help you Principle Randall?" Tommy would freely admit that his boss simply disturbed him. The fact that his girlfriend could easily kick Randall's ass from one end of Reefside to the other gave him comfort when she was around.

Randall looked at him, "I have a new student for you Doctor Oliver," the woman looked as if this is the last thing she wanted to have, "I trust you can take her from here?" With that Randall turned and walked out, leaving Karise standing in front of everyone.

"If you wish, you can introduce yourself or go and sit in the empty seat by Conner." Tommy told her, recognizing her as the girl he had dropped off at Conner's house.

"Thank you Dr. Oliver, I think I'll just go sit by my cousin. If any one wants to know my name they can ask after class." Karise turned and walked to the seat Dr. O had mentioned. She grinned at her cousin, a gleam in her eyes as she sat down. She slid a note to him once she was sure Dr. O wasn't looking.

_Conner- you never said that the Principle was evil! Why didn't you warn me? Do you have any other classes with me?_ Below the note was a hastily written schedule. Below this Conner replied.

_Karise- I didn't even think to warn you about Randall. Lunch, first period, and the last two periods._ Conner slid the note back to the girl beside him. Karise grinned and then turned back to see what Dr. O had put on the board.

The group, plus Karise, met after seventh period. Karise was comparing the classes to her old ones. She was ecstatic about her Theater class, where they were acting out several different scenes from various plays and her art class that she had with Trent.

"…all and all, it was an awesome day. At least the teachers here gave me a chance before shuffling me into a group. When's soccer practice? I saw the notice for a new goalie, but it didn't give a time."

Conner grinned, wondering when Karise was going to run out of air. "Now, actually, did you bring clothes?" Karise looked at him, the look clear, "of course you did, just go change in the girls' locker room and meet me out by where I parked this morning." Nodding, the two cousins parted, Conner waving goodbye to his friends.

"Should we go and watch?" Kira asked the other two, "I'd like to see how Karise does at her tryouts."

"Can girls even join the boys' soccer team?" Trent asked, following Kira. Ethan tagged along. If Karise had the same mount of talent she had with computers (she had fourth period with him in computer programming), she'd easily get the opening.

"I don't see why not," the computer geek replied, "since we don't have a girls' team and there's nothing in the rules that says she can't."

By then, they had reached the bleachers. They could see Conner introducing Karise to the coach, but not hearing what was said. Whatever was said seemed to convince the coach to give the new girl a chance. After all, they had at least one girl on the football and wrestling teams, why not soccer?

As they watched, Karise geared up and entered the goal. Some of the guys were jeering at her, but a comment from Conner shut them up. The guys lined up to shoot goals and see how many they could get pass the newbies. Karise was the first one to go, and proved to be one of the best goalies any of them had ever seen.

"Is it just me, but does it seem like everyone but Conner is softening their kicks?" Kira asked, glaring hard at the other players on the field.

"I can't tell, but it looks as if your right. Look," Trent pointed to where Karise had called timeout to complain. The coach chewed the players out, and the tryout resumed. This time Karise had to actually try to block the balls as they came whizzing towards her. She missed a few, but those where the ones she obviously knew she wouldn't have been able to catch.

Soon enough, Karise finished and the other boys went. She came to sit over with them.

"So what did ya think?"

"The only person we've seen move that fast is Conner," Ethan told her, grinning, "although, I'm certain you could beat any of them when it comes to anything other than soccer with the way you were tearing up the keyboard in class."

Karise grinned roguishly, "Better watch it Ethan or I might get a big head with all your praise. Wouldn't want me to end up like that guy over there," she vaguely motioned over her shoulder where the team was taking a break. One of the guys was talking with a group of girls, strutting about like an overgrown peacock.

The coach blew the whistle and yelled for everyone to gather around him. Karise raced off, eager to see if she had made the team. It was likely she had, since she had missed the least amount of balls kicked at her. Only one of the other boys had done as well. Ten minutes later the two cousins walked back over.

"He said he's gonna post the new team list tomorrow during lunch," Karise told them, controlled excitement shining in her eyes. Her bouncing feet gave her away through as she tried to stand still beside Conner.

Before any of them could say anything, their communicators went off. They all went to their wrists while Karise looked at them weirdly.

"Our watch alarms," Conner hastily told her, "we need to get to Karate Club. Do you want to stay here and finish out practice while we go?"

Karise didn't look convinced, "Conner, practice is almost over. Why don't I just go with you?" The looks on her cousin's face confused her. Was he that bad at karate? She didn't think so, since he had shown her everything he knew and then some.

"You can't, the club is full and it's rare that someone doesn't show up," their communicators went of again. Conner thought quickly, "Why don't you take our stuff home and I'll just get Trent to drop me of afterwards?"

"Okay, but when you get home I'm taking your temperature." Conner tossed her his keys and dropped his stuff at her feet before they took off towards Trent's jeep. He ignored her last statement after 'ok'.

"Since when do you let anyone else drive your car, cousin mine?" Karise whispered aloud to herself. Shrugging her shoulders, she went over to the car and loaded the stuff into it. She would figure out what Conner and his friends were hiding, and nothing would stop her.

* * *

"Are you sure that was the wisest thing to do Conner?" Kira asked as they arrived at Dr. O's.

"Well, what did you want me to say? I'm sorry Karise, but I have to ditch you because our science teacher wants us at power Ranger training? Some how I doubt that would have gone over very well with Dr. O." Conner tersely replied.

Before Kira could retort, Ethan intervened, "Don't you think she'll think something's up? I mean, how often do you let anyone but you drive your car?"

"Who'll think something's up?" Tommy turned to face his latest team. He had only caught the last part of the conversation.

"My cousin was with us when you called Dr. O," Conner told him, "what did you call us for?" He really wanted to change the subject.

"I found another dinogem reading when I got home this afternoon." Dr. O replied, turning to where Hailey was sitting and running the scans. "It's somewhere around this area, near Conner's house."

"I thought we had found all the dinogems," Trent said, remembering his own experiences that followed after he had received his.

"We all thought so," Hailey told him, "but it would seem that we were wrong."

"What if it's a trap?" Kira asked, "It wouldn't be the first time Mesogog and his henchmen tried something like this."

"Whatever it is, I want you four to check it out. Hailey and I will monitor from here."

The younger rangers nodded at Tommy and left the Command Center. The piled back into Trent's jeep and headed towards Conner's house. Conner couldn't explain it, but he had a bad feeling about this…

* * *

Karise walked through the wooded park near Conner's house, absently kicking a rock now and then. She was thinking about the way Conner had acted earlier. As much as she didn't want to believe it, the thoughts that maybe Conner didn't want her here had entered her mind. She sat on a boulder that faced a pond with ducks swimming in it. It was late in the spring, almost early summer, but there were still some ducklings swimming around.

The girl sat and watched them, wishing that she could join them. At least then she wouldn't after worry about family or anything of the like. She was started out of her contemplations by a sound somewhere behind her, behind the think line of trees. Curiosity piqued, she stood on the boulder and jumped. She caught one of the branches and pulled herself into the tree. Climbing carefully, fully aware that the smaller branches would break under even her slight weight, she maneuvered herself higher and around so that she could see what was going on. She grimaced at the sight of the woman in leather with the big sword directing some kind of lizard creatures. It looked as if they were looking for something. Well, whatever it was it probably didn't belong to them. Part of her mind was silently cursing her hero complex as she did what she did next.

"Hey uglies, what do you think you're doing?" She called out, balancing herself like her gymnastics (she hated going since it wasn't soccer, but liked the benefits it gave her) instructor had taught her.

"What's it to you little girl?" Elsa called to her, ready to send the tryrano drones after the interfering teenager. Elsa had realized quite early on that she really, _really_ hated teenagers.

"Whatever it is to me is none of your business, you Xena-wannabe!" Karise's hero complex suddenly seemed to realize that this was not the smartest thing in the world to do. He part of her mind that had been cursing it now begun to congratulating it on realizing that some things were better left alone.

"Drones, attack!" Elsa pointed her sword at the bothersome girl and drones attacked the tree it was in. Karise held on as the tree swayed. Grabbing onto a branch to keep herself from falling, her grip grabbed something else and she began to fall. A red streak caught her before she could hit the ground and together her catcher and she rolled to a stop at the feet of three other people.

"What did you think you were doing?!" Conner demanded, standing up and bringing her with him.

"Never mind, that Xena-wannabe is right behind us!" Karise looked around Conner to see Elsa and those monsters of hers were indeed following them.

Kira glanced at Elsa, wanting to laugh at Karise's name for her. "She's right Conner; I think we should go now." Conner nodded and, dragging his cousin, ran with his friends away from the fight.

"Karise, go home while we distract these things!" Conner told her, not expecting her response.

"No way Conner: you fight, I fight, you run, I run. I'm not running from that woman, she'll go and hurt someone, destroy something, or both if we don't stop her! You know that!"

Conner frowned, he knew Karise wouldn't run, but he had to at least try. He had a feeling that what he was about to do would get him yelled at by Dr. O, but if Karise was going to fight, she would have to know anyway. He was glad that they had gotten separated from his friends.

"Fine, but promise me that anything you see you won't tell to anyone." Karise nodded, knowing that it was good enough for her cousin. It was a good thing to, as they were attacked by the drone things.

Ten minutes into the fight, Conner knew he would have to morph. He looked to see his cousin captured by two of the drones. This was it, and his secret was out.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP!"

Karise looked up and grinned at the site of her cousin in his Red Ranger uniform. She had thought Conner was the red power ranger, this only confirmed it. Soon Conner had her free from the drones holding her.

"Thanks, I think I'll run now and leave you guys to it. I'd only get in the way." Karise grinned at him as Conner nodded. She took off; running far faster then she thought she could. Using a log, she used it as a jumping platform to try and cross the small creek that was in front of her. She jumped further then she should have, that anyone should have. She skidded to a stop, splaying her hands as her momentum caused her to turn around as she went into a crouch. Her right hand opened, causing a green gemstone to fall out.

"This can't be good…"


	2. Chapter 2

Now What?

Chapter Two

I ONLY OWN MY STUFF! PR BELONGS TO ITS OWNERS!

* * *

Thinking quickly, Karise grabbed the gem off the ground and continued running. She didn't think any of those things or the rangers now fighting them saw her, but she still didn't run straight home. Instead, she backtracked through the woods and park. If anything tried to follow her, they would be so frustrated by the maze of a trail that she had left that she was pretty confident that they would give up before finding her. Of course, if the gem is what they were after and not just some random shiny rock, she could be in trouble.

Taking the stairs that led up the back porch two at a time, Karise rushed inside to land on the couch in the living room. She caught her breath, opening her clinched hand to take a closer look at the gem. It was worn smooth, no sharp edges and no other colors but the one shade of green. It was perfect, to perfect to be just some random stone. Karise liked it, even though it confused her. She placed it in to her pocket. Unless she forgot about it, it would be safe there.

Getting up, she walked upstairs to the attic. Uncle Sam, Conner's dad, had split it in half. One side was for storage and the other was her bedroom. When Conner was eight and she six, Sam had decided to make more room by making two bedrooms out of existing space that was unused. She and Conner had gotten the end result. Like Conner's, the room was color/soccer themed. She loved it, even when it was a bit dusty and the bed needed to be made.

Karise sneezed, sticking her head out the widow to try and clear her lungs of dust. She was slightly allergic to dust, but it wasn't so bad that it would stop her from cleaning up on her own. Taking a deep breath, she brought her head back in. She didn't know when Conner was coming home, so might as well get her room ready while she waited.

* * *

Conner grunted as he fought the Tyrannodrones. The others had arrived morphed, jumping into the fight and taking over the remaining drones. Tossing the last drone aside, he found himself face to face with Elsa. He glared at her; even through he knew that she couldn't see past his helmet.

"Where is she ranger?" Elsa sneered. "She has something that belongs to me!" Elsa had seen the dinogem grabbed by Karise, but she had failed to see where the girl had gone to.

"She doesn't have anything that belongs to you Elsa," Conner was so tempted to call her a bitch, but his dad had raised him to never insult a woman to her face, only far away where she would never find out. It was safer that way.

Elsa growled and attacked Conner with her sword. Conner parried with his Tyranno staff, fending the woman off. It didn't stop her as she continued attacking. Finally, she got tired of exchanging blows and summoned down the monster she had waiting for them.

This had to be one of the most ridiculous ones yet. It was a cross between a pig, a green crayon, and what Conner thought might be nail polish bottle. He was glad that Karise had run; she wouldn't have stood a chance against the monster. Shaking off his thoughts, Conner rushed into battle beside Kira just as Trent and Ethan where tossed aside. They didn't far much better. The monster laughed at them.

"This 'oink' is 'oink' fun! Let's see what you look like in 'oink' green!" The monster sprayed out what looked like green nail polish. It certainly smelled like it. It covered the rangers completely and froze them into place once it hardened. No matter how hard they fought, they couldn't move.

"What is this junk?" Ethan moaned as he tried to move. This was one of the worst situations they had ever been in.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Kira muttered, the smell making her feel woozy.

Trent and Conner didn't say anything, beginning to succumb to the smell faster than the others. Conner would have sworn he heard someone screaming his name, but he was so out of it that he didn't completely register it.

* * *

Karise leaned out the window again, the dust getting to her. A very…_potent_…smell wafted up to her. It reminded her of one of the experiments they had done in eighth grade chemistry. Knowing the battle that was currently taking place, the smell caused her to worry.

Not even thinking, she tugged open her closet door and rummaged around inside until she found her archery set. It was a little worse for wear, but still fully functioning. The arrows were all live, which was good for what she was about to go and do.

"Conner is going to be so pissed at me," Karise said to herself, leaping down the stairs and heading to the garage. Once there, she pulled out her old bike, glad to see that Conner had kept his promise in keeping it in good condition. Trying not to think on the consequences, she pulled the bike outside and headed to where she had left Conner.

She braked to a stop just as the monster finished spraying down the rangers with the green nail polish junk. Well, now she knew what had caused the smell.

"Conner!" Karise yelled, knowing what happened to her cousin every time he got around nail polish. If she didn't hurry, Conner was going to be extremely sick. Karise yelled again, gaining the monster's attention. She gulped, fumbling with her bow as she put an arrow to the string. The fact that this was bordering on turning medieval occurred to her, but she shot the monster anyway. Unfortunately, the arrow only bounced off. It must have hurt the thing somehow though because it started yelling in pain and complaining that Karise had scratched it.

"I'll 'oink' get you 'oink' for that!" The monster screamed and headed towards Karise, preparing to spray her with its nail polish slime.

Realizing what the thing was about to do, Karise backpedaled, trying to get away on her bike. It didn't work like she planned. Like before with the log, Karise leapt into the air. The bike was left standing, getting doused in the green gunk. She landed and stumbled before regaining her footing, shocked at what she had done and a little freaked out.

"That was my bike you jerk!" She shouted right before she ducked as an ATV leapt over her head and a black ranger joined the fight. Using his staff, he beat the monster off.

"You should go," he told her. Karise only glared.

"No way, that thing attacked my cousin! I already ran once, I ain't doin' it again!" Before Dr. O could tell her anything different, the monster had punched him in the back and sent him flying.

"I won't 'oink' miss' oink oink' this time!" the monster, Karise decided she was naming it Oinker, screeched.

Knowing that it wasn't going to cause any damage anyway, Karise readied another arrow. "This says you wont," she stuck her tongue out and shot just as Oinker did the same. Seeing the green junk come towards her, Karise jumped.

Tommy Oliver watched as the girl leapt far higher then anyone should have been able to. It only took him a few seconds to realize that she had to have the new dinogem. He dodged the green slime and shot one of his orbs at the monster. It hit Oinker head on, but didn't destroy it.

"I'll 'oink' be back rangers!" it yelled as it disappeared in a flash of glowing green and black light.

As soon as she was back on the ground, Karise breezed past the black ranger and ran right to the green statue where some red showed through green. Green defiantly didn't suit Conner, but that was only her mind trying to get off the fact that he was still trapped. Karise brought back a fist and punched the harden junk as hard as she could, but only ended up hurting her hand. She cursed, rubbing her knuckles.

"Break you stupid junk!" Karise punched it again, this time leaving a smear of blood.

A hand reached over from behind her, still encased it the black material of the ranger uniform. "Stop before you hurt yourself anymore. We'll get them back to the lab and see what we can do for them."

"I'm coming with you," her tone didn't offer any room for argument, but she was still surprised when the black ranger nodded.

* * *

Karise sat in the chair in front of the computer counsel watching as Dr. Oliver and Hayley scanned the four junk encased rangers. Somehow it hadn't surprised her to find out that Dr. O was the black ranger. In a way, it made her feel safer knowing that Conner had someone he could look up to for guidance when he was unsure if something.

"I don't know Tommy," Hayley told him, "the chemical makeup looks familiar, but I can't place it."

Karise looked up from her brooding, "Could it be similar to nail polish? That's what it smelled like when it was fresh anyway."

Hayley looked at the girl Tommy had introduced as Conner's cousin. She nodded, "It's possible, but nail polish shouldn't have this effect."

"What if it was altered in some way as to cause it to do this? I mean, it did come out of Oinker's mouth. It would make sense that it would be altered somehow."

"Oinker?" Tommy raised an eyebrow at the name of the monster.

"Well, I had to call it something and it kept going 'oink' every few words. It seemed to fit." Karise defended. "I called the woman that I ran into earlier a Xena look-alike, but that just made her mad." Both adults snorted, realizing that only someone related to Conner would actually make that comment to Elsa's face.

"Her name is Elsa, she works for Mesogog. He's the current bad guy." Tommy told her.

"Okay, so would nail polish remover work on freeing them?" Karise was worried about Conner.

"Hmm," Hayley mused, "It might, but we would need a lot of it."

"I have one of those wipe things if you want to experiment." Karise reached into her pocket and pulled out the little wipe packet and the stone from earlier. Both of the adults started at the sight of it.

"Where did you find that?" Hayley asked, watching something click in Tommy's eyes at the sight of the gem.

"This? I think I might've grabbed it when I fell out of the tree I was in after Elsa sent the drone things to attack me. Some really weird stuff has been going on since I've found it." She handed it to Hayley along with the wipe. Hailey took the wipe, but not the stone.

"You mean you're sudden ability to jump twenty feet into the air," Tommy said. Karise nodded.

"Is it some kind of radioactive material or something?"

"No, it's called a dinogem. It's what gives us our powers as rangers. Since it's bonded to you, that would make you our sixth ranger."

Karise looked at him, rubbing the perfectly smooth surface of her dinogem. "It must have made a mistake. I can't be a power ranger. Power rangers are heroes, I ain't a hero."

Before Tommy could reply, Hayley's gleeful 'it works!' interrupted them. Karise leapt out of the seat and went to check where Hailey had wiped Conner's helmet clear of the gunk.

"Now I just need to figure out a way to do this to their whole bodies."

"A spay bottle and one of those foam baseball bats, spay it on them then use the bat to break it off." Karise suggested. Hailey looked at her.

"Are you sure you're related to Conner?" Hayley asked, wondering how Conner had forgotten to mention his highly intelligent cousin that looked more like his sister.

Karise turned to face the shorter woman; her face frozen into a blank mask. "I am incredibly certain that I am related to Conner." She moved to exit the cave, grateful that no one moved to stop her from running.

"What did I say?" Hayley was confused, she had only been joking. Tommy only shook his head.

"Lets get these guys freed, maybe Conner has the answers."

* * *

Two hours later, all four of the younger rangers had been freed from their nail polish prisons. Conner's skin was red and he looked like he had been doing pot for the last few hours. He did not feel great, and now Ethan was laughing at him.

"Dude, you're allergic to nail polish? How is that possible?" Ethan asked, snickering at his poor friend.

"It's not funny!" Conner rasped out, closing his eyes against the bright lights of the cave.

"He's right Ethan, being that seriously allergic to something is not funny." Kira told her friend, sitting next to Conner and laying a cold rage over his swollen eyes. "Do you have any meds for when this happens?"

Conner shook his head slightly, "Not on me, they're all at home." Neither he nor Kira saw the jealous looks Trent was sending their way, no one did.

"I'll call Karise then, so she'll know to have some out waiting for when we get you home," Kira suggested.

Everyone but Conner looked up when the back wall of the cave slid open. They were surprised to see Karise standing there looking sheepish and unsure of herself. It was nearly the exact opposite of the girl they had met today at school.

"What's she doing here?" Ethan asked in shock.

Tommy grinned as that shocked looks on his students' faces. "Karise found the green dinogem, it bonded to her."


	3. Chapter 3

Now What

Chapter 3

I OWN NOTHING!

* * *

The rangers, minus Conner, looked between their mentor and Connor's cousin. Conner just listened, a small smirk resting on his lips. Karise shook her head, not saying anything as she opened the pill bottle she had brought.

"Open," Conner did so, "swallow, and do try not to choke." Karise opened a bottle of water that she then handed to Conner, "drink it all and then at _least_ two more when we get home."

"Yes mom," Conner replied, finally opening his eyes to look at his younger cousin. Karise hit him upside his head.

"Behave boy or I'll show those pictures of you-" Conner clapped his hand over her mouth.

"Embarrassing me is not allowed," Conner told her, hearing his friends' laughter in the background.

Karise licked his hand in retaliation, even though it didn't work. Instead, she slipped out of Conner's lose hold and stood.

"I can embarrass you all I want cousin mine," she stood tall; "after all I have more blackmail material on Eric anyway."

Tommy called a halt to the cousins bantering. Everyone trained their attention to their mentor. Hailey brought out a morpher and gave it to Karise. Following Dr. O's instructions, she slammed her green dino gem into the morpher now on her wrist. She watched as it transformed into a bracelet much like what the others wore.

"A watch, huh?"

* * *

The net day at school, Karise sat bored in her third period class. Her Drama teacher was lecturing on how comedies and tragedies could be interwoven in a production. She had heard this lecture before, and it always annoyed her because it always hit a little to close to home for her. She actually grinned when the bell cut the teacher off mid-sentence. He dismissed the class, calling after them that they would finish next time and then have a test over the last two chapters.

Rolling her eyes, she ran up the stairs to her art class. At least there she could chat with Trent while they worked on their paintings of something from their childhood.

"Hey Trent," Karise slid into her seat beside her teammate, "any idea what we're doing today?"

"Working on our projects," Trent replied, fidgeting as he looked over to where his covered canvas was.

"You so sure on that?" Karise pointed to the teacher's desk where a box that was overflowing with odds and ends sat. Trent just shrugged as the teacher walked in.

Smiling broadly at her advanced art class, Ms. Ice watched as several students talked. She was glad to see that the new girl and Trent had become friends. The boy was usually so quiet that she worried about him.

"Alright class, quiet down," Ms. Ice watched as almost instantly the class turned away from their individual conversations and faced her with their full attention. "Today, instead of working on our projects, we're going to be working on a 3D art project. I want each of you to come up to the box and choose something to work with. You know where everything else is. Have fun, you have to the end of the period." She sat down and watched as each student approached the box and took something out. She paid particular attention to Trent and Karise as they chose theirs.

Trent stared at the cardboard sheet he had pulled out of the box. He looked up as Karise poked him. She held scissors, multi-colored electrical tape, a roll of wire (the item she had pulled out of the box), and a bag of multi-colored beads.

"Having trouble coming up with something?" Trent nodded.

"I can't think of anything, can you?" He watched as she nodded, sitting down and reaching into her bag for a pencil.

"Yep, now, what if we did this?" He watched as she sketched something out on a scrap of paper. He felt a smile slowly form itself on his face as he nodded. No one else was going to do something like this.

An hour later, Ms. Ice walked around the room as the students proceeded to clean up their work stations. As she approached the back table where Trent and Karise were working, she expected to see two different projects. She was surprised to see a finished project with two names on it.

"How did you to manage to make that?" She asked as she studied it. It was a cube without sides, meaning that only a half-inch outline of each side with solid bases made up the cube. It was held together with strips of green and white electrical tape. Inside a diamond shaped gem made of clear and transparent green beads sat suspended by the same wire that gave it its shape. In all her years of teaching she had never seen something like this.

"Well, you never said that we couldn't work together," Karise explained, "so I came up with the idea and Trent figured out how to keep the cube together and suspend the bead gem inside it so that both would keep the 3D effect that you wanted." Trent nodded, watching as their teacher nodded, asking if she could keep it. Both said yes as they gathered up their things and headed to biology.

* * *

The rest of the day proceeded normally, with the only other thing happening was that Karise made the team as the new goalie. It was this event that led them to go to Hailey's after practice that was for once undisturbed. That was where it took a turn for the weird.

"Conner, why is that girl over there giving you weird looks?" Kira pointed out a short, petite girl with caramel hair and dressed in black jeans with a white shirt that had a pink logo emblazed on it.

Conner turned to look at the girl Kira was talking about with a shrug. "I have no idea," he turned back to watching Karise beating Ethan at air hockey. Ethan thought it would be one of the few games Karise was truly bad at. He had been wrong. Kira surged in return, dropping it as Trent approached with a tray full of drinks and brownies for them all.

"Hey guys," He sat the tray down while smiling at Kira, who smiled back in return, but otherwise ignored it. "Sorry to ditch, but Hayley needs me to work. One of the other guys just called in sick and she has no one else she can call to cover for him."

Karise turned around as she heard what the boy was saying, having already beaten Ethan two shots ago at their game. "Hey, it's okay Trent. It's no big deal; it just proves you're dependable with feeling like your being taken advantage of." She grabbed the green smoothie and took a large gulp with a grin, "and tell Hayley that she makes the best Kiwi smoothies I've ever had."

Trent grinned, "Will do, see you guys later." He moved away to help Hailey, absently greeting the girl Kira had pointed out to Conner a few minutes earlier.

"Come on Karise, one more game? No way can you win every time." Ethan whined, not liking that someone had beaten him at a game that no one had been able to beat him at in years. None of them noticed that the girl was watching them after she had heard Karise's name. Karise hadn't even noticed her yet.

"Ethan, everyone loses sometimes. I'll play you again later. Why don't you show me the games that the computers here have. You can show me the ropes on them." She pointed out two empty machines that were side-by-side, spotting the girl as she did so. She blinked in surprise, surprised that she hadn't noticed her before. Conner watched as his cousin truly smiled. "Ms. Kim!"

The woman smiled as she braced herself. The taller Karise quickly walked over to her gymnastics teacher and embraced the woman in a strong hug. "Hello Karise, I didn't expect to see you here." Kim stepped back to take a look at one of her favorite students. Karise looked a lot more comfortable here than she had ever seen her. "Is the tall guy in red over there the infamous Conner you've talked about so much?"

"Of course, I told you he lived in Reefside. Why else would I be here?" Karise led her teacher over to her cousin and friends.

Kim shrugged as she grinned again. "Rumor has it that you were sent to some kind of boot camp for the incident in the locker rooms at your school. Did they really expel you?"

Karise stopped and Conner got ready to snap at the small woman for bringing up the incident. Kira stopped him, whispering something into his ear. Conner froze, studying the woman intently.

"You heard about that?" Karise said lowly, suddenly needing to sit down.

"Yes, by the bragging those brothers of yours were doing. Not to mention the rumors and such going around as to where you disappeared to. I was disappointed that you didn't come and tell me goodbye," Kim mock-scowled at her student.

Karise weakly laughed as her long form collapsed into a chair that Ethan had pulled out for her. Trent saw her do so and headed over along with Hayley, who was placing a call to Tommy. Karise gave a wavering smile, "So you don't believe that I had anything to do with it?"

"Not at all," Kim told her, "everyone and anyone who knows you should know that you'd never do something like that. That's why I thought everybody seems to have lost their minds."

"Karise, are you alright?" Trent asked when he reached his friends.

"Yea, just a bit shocked is all. Hey, were we supposed to meet Dr. O here today? I thought we were off unless our project needed working on?" She pointed to where their teacher/mentor came in through the doors. Kim looked up and smiled, happily bouncing over to the man before leaping on him.

The rangers had different reactions. Ethan and Trent stood there in shock at seeing their teacher being kissed, Hayley, Kira, and Conner were staring, the familiarity of where they knew the woman from clicking into their heads, and Karise was laughing so hard that she was clutching her stomach and nearly falling out of the chair. They made for an interesting sight once Tommy and Kim had parted. Tommy glared at Karise as she wolf-whistled at them.

"Come one Dr. O; don't give me the glare of death, please?" Karise grinned at him, "it's funny to see Ms. Kim act like a bouncy ball. Usually that only happens to us when she trounces people at sparing." Kim giggled at the memories that Karise's statement brought up.

"Don't act like you don't do a fair amount of bouncing yourself Raptor," Kim told her, "You have your nickname for a reason."

Karise nodded and bowed, "Yet I have never managed to bounce the lovely Crane, so you are still the best."

Tommy suddenly grinned, realizing that the stubborn girl he had given a ride to and was currently teaching was the same stubborn girl that Kim would tell him about during their conversations when he asked about practice. He knew very well where the nickname of 'Crane' came from, and it wasn't Kim's spirit animal.

Hayley shook her head; this was almost too much for her mind to handle. It looked as if the world was small after all.

* * *

Later that night, Karise and Conner relaxed in the living room. Karise had fixed them something to eat and they hadn't been bothered by Mesagog or any of his goons all day. Karise suddenly laughed.

"Imagine it Conner," she said at the look on his face, "we were both being taught be former rangers and we didn't even know it. I've known Ms. Kim for years, and now that I think about it, Dr. O was at the gym a time or two helping Rocky and Jason with their Martial Arts classes. Admit that that's a little strange."

"Okay, it's a little strange," Conner agreed, "but still, it's only a coincidence."

"Yea, I know, but it makes the fact that we're only human and we won't have to do the ranger thing forever concrete. It's comforting, knowing that we still have lives waiting for us after we're through with our go." Karise stretched, her long legs managing to touch Conner's from where he sat in the chair beside the couch.

Conner knocked them away, shaking his head. "You haven't head Dr. O's comment on 'once a ranger, always a ranger' yet. Just wait; he'll say it sooner or later."

Karise opened her mouth to comment back, but the beeping of their communicators interrupted her. She listened as Conner answered, assuring Dr. O that they were on their way.

Within seconds, the two cousins were headed towards the park nearby where sure enough, Oinker was there spraying the green nail polish gunk over anything that moved. Karise grimaced as she copied Conner in summoning her morpher.

"This time, don't get sprayed."

"No worries, I won't. The same goes for you as well by the way."

"Whatever," Karise raised her arm and together they started the morphing sequence.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HAH!"

Conner took a second to notice that Karise's uniform was just like Kira's except that it was green where Kira's was yellow. That, and Kira didn't have a crossbow strapped to her side.

"Ready to do this?" Conner asked as Oinker sighted them.

"Now or never," Karise responded, leaping into the air to avoid the gunk aimed her way.

Conner dodged to the left and ran around to the side of the creature, attempting to attack it while Karise kept it busy trying to spray her with the gunk. His attack was blasted back at him and Conner went flying.

Karise spotted Conner and unhooked her crossbow. "RAPTOR CLAW!" A green razor bolt materialized onto the strung crossbow before being shot at Oinker. It hit him dead on, but was also bounced back. Karise dodged, landing next to Conner when she landed. Lucky for them, the others arrived.

"Great, it's green and ugly again," Ethan commented, not noticing the glare from Karise, "no offense to our newest member of course." Karise grinned; at least he knew how to soften an unintended insult.

"Right, so now what?" Kira asked, having seen both of her teammates attacks sent back at them.

"Try to aim two attacks at him at once. In theory sense, he should be able to only block one. That way, we land at least three attacks on him." Karise suggested, keeping her eyes on Oinker.

"Now 'oink' I 'oink' got you!" He squealed in glee, at least they assumed it was glee.

"Are all the monsters this way?" Karise asked, doing a mental face-fault when they all nodded their heads.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

Now What

Chapter 4

I own nothing of any great importance besides the plot.

* * *

Karise dodged another stream of green gunk as Oinker tried once again to hit her with it. She and Kira had been designated the distraction while the boys tried Karise's idea. Kira swooped in and picked her up just as another stream came at them.

"Now would be a good time," Karise yelled, landing on her feet as Kira landed beside her. Oinker headed towards them, heading right into Karise's attack.

Kira attacked seconds after, scoring a hit. Oinker, now busy complaining about his newest hurt, never noticed as Conner and Ethan attacked him from behind. Trent followed. All three scored hits. Now that Oinker had openings in his shielding, the rangers were able to put their weapons together and destroy him.

Like all monsters, he didn't stay that way for long as Elsa turned him into a towering creature that tried to squash the rangers. Summoning the zords, the two megazords were formed. Trent and Karise were in one and the other three were in the other. Using the same plan as before, they managed to destroy Oinker permanently.

* * *

Back at the lab, Tommy and Kim watched the battle. Kim expected Tommy to join his team, and was surprised when he didn't.

"They don't always need my help, and Conner now as two reasons not to mess up." Tommy told her, kissing her frowning face lightly.

"Two reason?" Kim raised her eyebrow at him, "don't tell me the red ranger has a crush on the yellow ranger. Karise can take care of herself."

Tommy laughed at that, "You would be right, but Conner is Conner. He'd try to protect both of them even if they weren't rangers on his team."

"Does it bother you, seeing another green ranger?" Kim asked softly.

"A little," Tommy admitted, "but not as much as I thought it would."

"Good," Kim grinned up at him, "how early do they usually get here for training?"

"I can always delay it," Tommy picked up his girlfriend and carried her upstairs. The rangers could easily figure out not to come to early tomorrow.

* * *

Conner yawned as he woke up the next morning. After last nights battle he and everyone else had returned to their homes, glad that there wasn't any school that day. Hopefully Mesogog and his henchmen wouldn't try anything this weekend. He could always hope anyway.

Upstairs was quiet when he got there. Surprised, mainly because Karise would normally be up no matter how late she went to bed the night before. Heading up to the attic, he paused at Karise's door. Pushing it slowly open, he saw his cousin stretched out on top of the covers, still in yesterdays clothes. He grinned, moving to place the girl fully on her bed. She jolted up as soon as Conner touched her.

"What are you doing in here Conner?" Karise moved to sit on the bed.

Conner stepped back. "I didn't mean to scare you," he told her, "I was wondering why you weren't up yet since normally you are."

"Sorry," Karise turned to look out the window, "I guess I was more exhausted than I thought I was."

"I slept for hours after my first battle," Conner told her, "Dad thought I was sick since I hadn't taken a nap in years."

"Uncle Sam worries as much as a mother hen," Karise replied, stretching out like a cat. Conner laughingly agreed.

"Do you want to change and go to the park?" Conner asked her, "The fields should be more or less empty."

"Don't we have to go to Dr. O's?"

"Yea, but that's not until later." Conner shrugged.

"Okay, besides, I don't want to interrupt them." Karise shivered as did Conner once he realized what she was talking about.

"Yea, that to," Conner left her room, heading downstairs to get his stuff.

* * *

Trent and Ethan made their way up to Dr. O's, wondering where their three missing teammates were. They hadn't been able to find them, and they weren't responding to their communicators. They figured that they might possibly already be at Dr. O's, since they were supposed to meet there anyway.

Tommy wasn't pleased to see two of his rangers on his porch before noon. Both boys didn't seem to understand what sleeping in meant. He was just glad that both he and Kim had been up and dressed. The phone ringing stopped any scolding Tommy had planned on giving the two boys.

"Tommy," Kim stuck her head around the corner and waved hello to the two boys, "that was Conner; he called to let you know that he and the girls were going to be late."

"Okay," Tommy told Trent and Ethan to meet him around back. While they were here, he might as well train them. Kim saw the look on his face and almost felt sorry for them, almost.

* * *

"Do you think Dr. O's gonna be mad?" Karise asked Kira, who was currently in her closet getting dressed.

"No, why do you have phone in your closet?" Kira stepped out holding a mobile phone in her hand. She was dressed in her workout clothing.

"So that's where that went after I threw it," Karise grinned sheepishly before taking the phone from her friend and digging under her bed for the charger. Finding it, she set it back up on her nightstand.

"Do I even want to know why you threw it?" Kira leaned against the wall behind her.

"No good reason really," Karise avoided the question. "Do you want to grab something to eat before we go over to Dr. O's?"

"Sure," Kira followed Karise down to the kitchen where Conner was waiting. He nearly chocked when he spotted Kira in her workout clothing. He hadn't even thought Kira owned something like that.

Karise raised an eyebrow at her cousin, knowing why his choking was happening. She and Kira, except for color, were both wearing the same thing: a thin strapped tank and sweatpants. She would freely admit that she also found Kira attractive, but then Conner would probably kill her.

"What are you eating Conner?" Karise asked, opening the fridge to see what was easily grabbed to eat.

"Left over pizza," Conner replied.

"What kind?" Karise removed the box and opened it, removing a slice she bit into it.

"Must you eat it like that?" Conner grabbed the box and a plate, asking Kira how many slices she wanted.

"Yes," Karise replied after she had swallowed. "Must you reheat yours?"

"Yes," Conner retorted, handing Kira the warm plate from the microwave. "That's normally how people eat leftovers that were originally hot."

"Being normal is extremely over-rated," Karise grabbed another slice before Conner could close the box. "I like being weird."

Kira swallowed her laughter along with her pizza. Conner had heated hers to where it wasn't fresh out the fridge cold, but no more. She could understand an old argument when she heard it.

"Come on guys; let's go before we're any later." Kira stopped any further comments. Karise smirked at Conner, who shook his head. Karise ran out the kitchen, grabbing for Conner's keys. Conner got them first and Karise pouted until they got to the car, Kira laughing at them both.

* * *

"Hey Ms. Kim," Karise called as she got out of Conner's car. "Where are the others?"

Kim smiled at one of her favorite students, "Out in the back, I think Tommy's mad at them."

Karise and Conner looked at each other before beginning to laugh. Kira looked at them before remembering their conversation from earlier. Her laughter joined theirs while Kim fought to keep hers to a simple grinning smirk.

"Close," she told them, which only caused them to laugh harder.

"We better go and join them," Kira managed through her laughter.

"Kira, wait a second," Karise took Kira aside while Conner went around back. He decided that he would be better off not knowing what his cousin was trying to plan.


	5. Chapter 5

Now What?

Chapter 5

I DO NOT OWN POWER RANGERS! (I only own Karise and her powers)

* * *

"Where are the girls?" Trent asked when he saw Conner come around the corner of Tommy's house.

Conner shrugged, "They stopped to talk with Ms. Kim." He wasn't going to mention that it was Karise's idea to stay behind.

Ethan shrugged, breathing hard from his and Trent's last bought of katas. All he knew was that this was the last time he was going to show up on time without calling first when Ms. Kim was here.

Tommy stood to the side, watching as the three boys that made up part of the younger group of rangers talked. He turned when Kim tapped him on his shoulder. She smiled at him and tugged him out of sight of the other rangers.

"What is it?" He asked her, wondering why Kim looked as if she were ready to burst out laughing.

"I figured that you wouldn't want to get soaked," Kim let out soft giggling. "Watch," she pointed him back to where the boys were still standing.

The boys, unaware of their impending fate, stood in a loose half circle while Trent and Ethan caught their breath. Tommy saw a quick flash of yellow and another of green in the trees along the edge of his backyard.

A torrent of water hit the boys from two different directions. All of them yelped as the cold water hit them. As they tried to avoid the water, the stream followed them. Balloons filled with water bombed them from yet another direction.

Looking around, Conner couldn't see either of the girls. Using his speed, he went from standing in a puddle of water to the edge of the yard where one of the water streams was coming from. He ducked into the woods to see if he could find who was controlling the hoses.

"Do you think he'll figure it out?" Kira asked Karise, who was lying next to her on the roof where they had run out of water balloons. Kim was in the house with Tommy filling more of them.

"He will," Karise's smile was wide, "eventually." They had tied the hoses to the trees where Karise had then improvised her trigger to start them. From the roof, following the guide lines Karise had made, they could each control a hose.

"_He_ has already figured it out," Conner said from behind them, partly dry from using his speed.

Kira jumped but Karise simply turned to look up at her cousin. She smirked at him and took the bag he was holding that was full of balloons.

"Yes, now help us get the other two." She commanded, rearranging herself and looking for where Trent had gone to. Kira pointed to where a movement among the tree line had caught her attention. Leaves weren't blue.

Balloons found their mark as did the hoses. Finally having enough, they shouted that they gave. The three on the roof jumped off, Karise stumbling as her power sent her higher before gravity took hold and she landed. Conner helped her up.

"That is beginning to be troublesome," she commented, taking her weight off of her cousin's arm. She brushed off her pants and sniffed before gasping as something hit her back and water burst over her. She turned in just enough time to avoid the next balloon. It hit Kira instead.

Kim and Tommy where both holding more water balloons and both wore evil looking grins on their faces. Karise took one look and started running towards the hoses. Conner followed, getting there ahead of her and taking control of one of them. He hit her squarely, drenching her and Kira both. Ethan went for the second hose, aiming it at both the two girls and the two older rangers.

Soon everyone was drenched and panting. Kira and Karise turned off the water and stole the hoses back from the boys when their grip went slack after the loss of the water pressure. They would have turned them back on, but at that moment Hayley arrived.

"What on Earth is going on here?" She took in the sight of the rangers. Due to all the water, Tommy's backyard had turned muddy. They were covered in mud, grass, and water dripped from their hair and clothing.

"Water fight," chorused the two cousins, just as they always replied whenever asked by one of their parents why they were wet and the yard was more mud than yard.

"More like water ambush," muttered Ethan, wringing out part of his shirt. It didn't help very much.

Karise turned to him and grinned. "You looked thirsty so we just figured we'd give you a drink."

Laughter erupted while Ethan sputtered for a reply.

* * *

Monday arrived, and with it the last week before Spring Break. The rangers were gathered around a table in the cafeteria, eating and talking about nothing in particular. They stopped talking when Cassidy and Devin came over, Devin carrying his camera. The bubbly blonde looked eager to discuss something with them.

"I'll see you guys later," Karise said as she stood up and made her escape.

Cassidy huffed, put out that her newest classmate had run off. Instead, she turned to Conner. "Why didn't you ever tell any one you had a sister?" She stuck her microphone in his face.

Conner pushed it aside, grimacing. "Karise is my cousin Cassidy, not my sister." He stood up and gathered up his own trash as well as the few scraps Karise had left behind in her escape.

Cassidy tried to get more out of the school's soccer star, but Conner ignored her. She turned to look at his odd gang of friends only to find that that had disappeared as well. She huffed again and yelled at Devin to follow her. He sighed, but dutifully followed her anyway.

"That was close," Karise said to herself, relaxing in her next period classroom. Mr. Hair always left it unlocked for people who wanted to come in early or to drop their stuff off before they ate lunch.

"Why did you run away from Cassidy?" Kira asked, sliding into her seat beside Karise.

The green ranger turned to face her yellow counterpart. She studied the girl for a minute before returning the question with one of her own.

"Has Conner told you anything about me? I mean anything, period."

Kira shook her head, "no, until you showed up we didn't even know he had a cousin."

"Cassidy reminds me of my last girlfriend." Karise studied Kira for her reaction. The yellow ranger seemed less surprised than she would have thought.

"That explains your comment about caring about guys the first time I met you," Kira replied.

Karise looked at her friend, laughing bubbling out of her throat. Telling Kira had been a lot easier than she thought it would have been. Kira looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Karise quelled her laughter.

"Sorry, it's just that usually people don't take the news that easily. The last time it was this easy I was telling Uncle Sam and Conner."

Kira grinned, "How did they take it?"

Karise shrugged, "Uncle Sam just kinda shrugged and said that as long as I was happy with myself, he was okay with it. Conner just sat there with this stupid look on his face as he added up the clues and hints I'd been dropping for the last few weeks or so. Then he said 'wow' and took me outside where we played soccer for the next several hours and he quizzed me over it."

The conversation would have continued, but at that moment the bell rang and the rest of the class entered along with their teacher. Mr. Hair immediately started in on WWII, causing everyone to hurry in note taking so as not to miss anything.

* * *

Conner rolled over in his bed, slapping at his nightstand for the ringing phone. Finding it, he answered.

"Hello?"

"Conner, is that you?" Sam McKnight asked over the phone, making sure he had his son on the line and not his niece.

"Yea, why are you calling so late?" Conner sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. It was a little after midnight.

"I'm sorry about that," Sam replied, "but something came up and I'm coming home earlier than planned. Did Karise get there alright?"

"Yea, she's in her room sleeping right now." Conner wondered why his dad was asking something like that. He knew Karise had gotten here okay; he had called late Friday to find that out.

"Good, I don't want you guys to leave the house until I get there. Unless it's one of your friends, don't let anyone into the house either." Sam gave Conner a list of things to do and double check, one of which was to remove the spare key hidden on the front porch.

"Okay, can I ask _why_ you want me to do all that?" Conner was tired and confused.

"I'll tell you when I get home Conner; right now just do what I've asked." Sam hung up, leaving Conner staring at the phone in his hand.

He sighed and got out of bed, hanging up his phone before going around his room and making sure that all of the windows were locked. Then he went upstairs and did the same, including removing the hidden spare key and double checking the doors. He did this on every level of the house.

"Conner, do you have _any_ idea what time it is?" Karise stood outside her doorway, holding a worn stuffed toy in one hand and rubbing her eyes clear of sleep with the other.

"Dad called," Conner explained, "he was acting really weird." Conner told her what he and his dad had talked about over the phone.

"That does sound weird for Uncle Sam." Karise frowned. "The last time I remember him acting like that was during that really bad thunderstorm a couple of years back, the one that tore those trees down in the back yard, remember?"

"Yea," Conner nodded and yawned. "I'm going back to bed, what about you?"

Karise looked at the worn lion in her hands. "I'm going to do that to." She turned to go back into her bedroom. Then she turned to look at her cousin. "Why didn't you ever tell your friends about me?"

Conner looked shocked, "It never came up, at least not until you came to visit. I didn't think it mattered if I told them or not. You'd still be my cousin either way. Why do you ask?" Conner was trying to remember what it was about the lion that was tugging at his mind.

Karise shrugged. "I told Kira my secret today," she grinned a little, "one of them any way."

"Was she okay with it?"

"She didn't seem surprised, and she hasn't treated me any differently."

Conner nodded, grinning a bit. "That's good then, wouldn't want my two best girls uneasy around each other."

"If Kira heard that, she'd probably hit you for it." Karise frowned in thought a bit. "When are you going to tell her your little secret?"

"She likes Trent," Conner replied, a look entering his eyes that Karise couldn't quite place.

"I wouldn't be to sure on that," Karise replied. "After all, it was you she came to see Saturday. It's you she usually looks at when she's onstage singing, and I bet you that she values your opinion quite a bit more than Trent's or Ethan's."

Conner only shook his head and went back towards the stairs. Their communicators went off. Karise answered.

"We'll be right there Ms. Kim," Karise assured the woman. One look at Conner and the two cousins were out of the house and running towards the wooded area nearby. Five minuets later the red and green rangers roared out of the forest on Conner's red raptor cycle.

* * *

"Please tell me that isn't what I think it is," Kira said when she arrived at the battle zone. Karise had just been blasted back towards her.

"You mean a giant marshmallow in the shape of a peep bunny?" Karise saw Kira nod. "I wish I could, I really do, but I'd be lying."

The two girls leapt into the fray just as Conner was stuck to the side of the cliff by marshmallow goop. He groaned, trying to get out of what ever the goop actually was. Unfortunately, Kira was pushed back into him and she became stuck as well. Karise landed a couple of feet away just as Ethan and Trent arrived.

"It's about time!" Karise called, avoiding a glob of the goop that the peep monster sent her way. "Don't let that junk touch you," she warned them, "not unless you want to look like a power ranger marshmallow."

Tommy arrived and landed a hit on the monster, which growled and tried to hit him with the goop as well. While it did that, Karise sent another Raptor arrow into the thing's mouth. It howled in pain and turned its attention to her.

She dodged, but the goop hit her foot and stuck her to the ground in that spot. She groaned and tried to yank her foot out of the goop, but couldn't. The maniacal marshmallow monster giggled. It three what looked like sparkles at the three rangers trapped by the goop. When the sparkles touched the goop, it rose up and covered all three rangers before exploding. The three rangers went flying, not stopping until they had either hit the cliff or the ground.

"Okay," Kira stood, wavering as she tried to get her balance. An unsteady Conner tried to balance both of them and somehow managed to do so. "This is ridiculous, it's an over sized marshmallow! How can it be beating us?"

Conner shrugged, tugging Kira out of the way as another glob of the goop headed their way. Trent joined them and tried to help Kira, but the yellow ranger just hung onto Conner. Karise stumbled over to them while Dr. O and Ethan kept the monster busy.

"Any ideas?" Karise asked, "Unless you just want to get a flame thrower and roast it?"

"None here," Trent replied, offering his services as a crutch to the green ranger. Karise shook her head and stood on her own.

Conner suddenly looked up. "Actually, Karise, do you remember when we ran out of marshmallows and we used peeps instead?" Karise nodded. "What happened to them?"

Karise paused and then grinned, although none of the others could see it. "They didn't roast, they melted! If we can get our weapons to generate enough heat, we can melt it!"

Dr. O and Ethan joined them in just enough time to hear Karise's statement. Quickly deciding on how to get their weapons to do just that, Dr. O took on the monster himself. He sent one of his Fire Orbs at it, the others following with their own blasts. The combined heat energies melted the monster.

Unfortunately, like always, it was a brief victory. Else, in Mesogog's fortress, sent down the power needed to reform the monster and enlarge it into a giant. And, like always, the rangers summoned their Dinozords and defeated the monster again.

"Conner, we have to get home!" Karise looked at her watch after they had all ended their morph. Conner grabbed her wrist to look at it and swore under his breath.

The two cousins quickly said their goodbyes and rushed to get home. Karise was light, so Conner could easily carry her. He did so and, although if Dr. O found out he'd get in trouble, used his speed to get them both home.


	6. Chapter 6

Now What?

Chapter 6

I DO NOT OWN PRDT!

* * *

When Sam McKnight entered his home, he was surprised to find his son Conner and niece Karise, both still in what they must have worn to bed the night before, sound asleep on the couch and loveseat in the living room. Karise was curled up on the loveseat, letting her cousin stretch out on the longer couch. If it wasn't for the fact that Karise was in green, he would have thought that Eric had come over instead of her.

Not having the heart to wake them, he quietly went to his own room and set his things down. He unlocked his window and opened it, letting fresh air circulate into the room. Looking at his watch, he sighed. Picking up the phone, he called the high school in order to let them know Conner wouldn't be attending. When the secretary asked about Karise, the surprised man answered that she wouldn't be attending either.

Going back into the living room, he stood in the doorway and watched the two sleeping teenagers. He remembered when he first met Karise, a scant six months before he and his wife divorced and separated the boys when they were six and Karise was four. From that first day, both Conner and Eric had been fiercely protective of Karise. Karise however bonded more with Conner than she had Eric, but that hadn't deterred his younger son's feelings any.

A knock at the door broke his trip down memory lane. He sighed again and went to see who it was. He opened the door to admit Kira Ford.

"Conner's still asleep," he told her, "neither of them is going to school today. I'll tell him that you came over however."

Kira nodded, "I know, I just came over to see how they were doing. Karise took a couple of hits yesterday during practice and I wanted to make sure Conner wasn't being overprotective."

Sam raised his eyebrow, but nodded. He was going to lead her back out the door when Karise appeared at the doorway to the living room.

"Morning Uncle Sam, morning Kira," she yawned and stumbled into the bathroom. When she came back out, she enveloped her uncle into hug. "When did you get back Uncle Sam?" Her grin was wide, but it faded a bit at the look on her uncle's face.

"About thirty minuets ago," he looked between the two girls, "I'll go wake up Conner." He let them be and Karise turned to Kira.

"Why are you here this early, shouldn't you be at school?" Karise looked at her friend, confused.

Kira shrugged, "My mom called in for me then let me come here." She winched when she heard a thump from the living room. "I don't know why she called me out, but Ethan said that his mom had done the same for him and Trent called in for himself."

"Phone must've been busy this morning," Karise yawned again. "You don't think they know, do you?"

Kira shrugged again, "I have no idea; I hope they haven't or we're going to be in trouble for all the times we've snuck out." She walked toward the living room doorway and peaked in, stifling a laugh at what she saw. She waved Kira over and soon both girls were trying to stifle their laughter.

Conner had been yanked off the couch, thumped to the floor, and now lay sprawled there. He was still asleep. Sam stood over him sighing. Karise succeeded in quelling her laughter and offered to help. Sam shrugged and moved away from Conner.

"Conner," Karise leaned over the back of the couch so that she was more or less right over her cousin, "Conner, you need to wake up now," Conner rolled over, ignoring his cousin. "Conner, you need to wake up because Kira's here and you're dressed in those horrible pink bunny pajamas that Great Aunt Carrie sent you."

That woke Conner up. He shot up, frantically looking around for Kira and down at his clothing to see if Karise was right. He glowered at her. "Not funny Karise," he said; anger apparent in his voice.

Kira finally broke and burst out in giggles. Conner looked mortified that she was there and had heard what Karise said. It didn't help any that snickers from someone behind him alerted him to the fact that his father was there and hadn't stopped Karise. He groaned, glad that neither Trent nor Ethan were there, or he'd never live it down.

"It's not so bad Conner," Karise assured him, "I could have just dumped cold water on your head like we did at Dr. O's yesterday."

* * *

Later that day, once Kira had gone home, Uncle Sam assured that Karise was, indeed, fine, and it had been explained that they were not to go to school that day, Sam finally sat down and told them why he had called last night and ended his visit earlier than planned.

"Social Services want me," Karise said in surprise, "why?"

Sam sighed, "Apparently, it was discovered that your twin brothers had, in fact, set off the stink bomb in the girl's locker room after stealing your invention. So, from what I was told, your counselor went to your house and asked to speak with both you and your parents. When told you weren't there, she spoke with your parents, inviting you back to Saint Rubens when the next part of term started." Sam sighed. "Your parent's reported you as a runaway shortly after that."

Karise sat back, "But Mom sent me here; she set the whole thing up. She bought me the ticket and everything."

"I know that," Sam told her. "We know that Francis knows that." He sighed, "I don't know what my brother's thinking, or how he could report something that he knew to be untrue."

"Are you going to send me back?" Karise asked, beginning to shake.

Conner noticed this and the stuffed lion from last night clicked into place. Karise only slept with it when she had nightmares. Whatever had caused her nightmare was probably causing her to shake now. He slid over onto the couch and offered his arms. Karise entered the welcome circle, not wanting to admit what was causing it.

Sam shook his head. "No, I'm not going to send you back. They can come and try to remove you, but until I say otherwise you're staying here."

Karise buried her head into Conner's chest. Conner said nothing when he felt his shirt becoming wet. Sam looked at them, but didn't say a word.

* * *

The next day brought a new day, and this time all of the rangers were present for classes. Gathering make up work and making apologies to their various teachers, they were glad when lunch arrived.

"You'd think that Principle Randal would have better things to do then get after us for missing school." Kira complained, sitting beside Karise so that she was between her and Conner.

"I still say she's evil," Karise added in, "maybe she works for Mesogog."

Conner snorted, "Sure, Principle Randal is actually Elsa and uses her job to spy on us and torture us with her very presence."

Karise rolled her eyes, "It could happen, I mean, think about who our Science teacher is."

They continued to banter, none of them realizing that Principle Randal had been listening and for a brief second thought that they had found her out. She breathed a sigh of relief when they laughed at the thought. Resuming her persona as a principle, she stalked over to their table. She smirked at them, ready to deport them to detention for some made up offense when a woman dressed in pink and black crossed the yard and appeared behind the annoying rangers.

"Hey Ms. Kim," Karise stood and hugged her teacher. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to have lunch with Tommy and thought I'd see how you were settling in." Kim told her, sitting down in the spot Conner made for her.

"Visitors aren't allowed on school grounds without a pass Ms. McKnight," Randal told her once she got close enough. She was prepared to dish out a double detention when the woman pulled out a plastic encased visitors pass.

"You see, Ms. Kim has a pass Ms. Randal." Karise gave the woman her most flirtatious grin. "Did you need something else?" Karise kept the grin on her face as she made it look as if she were looking her principle over.

Randal huffed and walked away much faster than she had approached. As soon as she was out of sight, the table broke into laughter. Once it was controlled enough, Kira congratulated Karise on getting rid of their evil principle.

"Yea," Conner echoed, "but did you really have to flirt with her like that?"

"It got rid of her, didn't it?" Karise replied. "Besides, it was funny how fast she managed to get out of here. You'd think that Tyrano-drones were after her or something." This comment had them laughing again, particularly when mixed with Karise's earlier comment on Randal possibly being Elsa.

* * *

"Where on Earth do they get their ideas for monsters?" Karise and Kira landed next to each other after the newest monster had thrown them.

"I'm beginning to think Saturday morning cartoons," Kira answered, "the really deranged ones."

The current monster looked remarkably like a Charazard, if said creature had been neon pink and breathed multicolored crystals that exploded on contact. They dodged again as the monster shot another mouthful of crystals at them. They were thrown further then planned by the aftershocks of the explosion.

"You guys okay?" Conner helped Kira to her feet, moving both of them out of the way before the next bought of exploding crystals hit.

"Yea," Kira was glad that Conner couldn't see her face at the moment, "we're fine. What took you guys so long to get here?"

"The others are still fighting the Tyrano-drones, Dr. O sent me over here to help you guys." Conner replied, deciding not to mention the fact that Dr. O had said no such thing and he had come over on his own when he saw his two female teammates being tossed around like rag dolls.

"Hey," Karise appeared beside her red and yellow teammates, "any ideas? The arrow net won't hold it forever." They looked over to where Karise had used what she called her 'net arrow', an arrow that when released from her crossbow formed a net around the target when in struck.

"None," Conner replied, "any idea what that thing is made out of anyway?"

Both girls shook their heads. "I think it's a mix of glass and crystal," Karise told him, "but I can't be sure until we manage to hit it with something solid."

Conner nodded, pulling out his staff. The two girls watched as Conner attempted to hit the monster, only to be sent back towards them. Both girls winched when Conner hit the ground a few feet away from them. It was then when the other rangers joined them.

"Watch out!" Karise and Kira both shouted out, to late as all three of rangers were tossed from the crystal explosives. All three of the other three male rangers landed on Conner.

"Okay," Karise growled, "I'm getting really tired of being tossed around like so much garbage." She aimed her crossbow, "RAPTOR CLAW BARRAGE!" Karise held her arm steady as the bolts soared towards the monster. Several hit, and the others tossed up stones that struck the monster. A ringing filled the battle field and Karise grinned. She was glad that her helmet hid it; it would have quite possibly scared the other rangers.

"Does that answer your question Conner?" Karise asked when she felt him come up beside her.

"Yea, but I don't think a sling-shot will work this time." He told her, yanking her out of the way of more crystals.

"Actually, I think it will." Karise pulled Kira into their group. She explained what she wanted to do, using Kira as the shot and them as the sling.

"If I get killed, I'm coming back to haunt the both of you." Kira told them as she was lifted to their shoulders.

"Of course," Karise replied, "but you're not going to die so I won't have to worry about it. Ready?"

"Ready," both her teammates replied. Karise counted down and at three she and Conner tossed Kira towards the monster, which had its attention turned to the other three rangers. Yelling, Kira hit the thing straight on, literally crashing through it and causing it to shatter into thousands of tiny pieces.

"Yea!" Kira found herself enveloped by the McKnight cousins. "I told you that you wouldn't be killed." Karise told her smugly.

"Yea, but now we have to worry about that," Kira pointed to where the monster was reforming into its giant form.

Summoning the zords, they once again defeated the monster. Through this time they used a sword instead of a Kira-loaded sling-shot.

* * *

"How well do you think Elsa would take monster suggestions?" Karise asked Kira, who was leaning against the wall of her bedroom while she dangled off the bed.

Kira laughed, "She'd probably take it as an insult."

"Eh, you're probably right." Karise turned around so that she could sit up. "I'd like to see her reaction though."

Both girls laughed as various images entered their minds on the reaction Elsa would have to such a list. Kira looked at the clock.

"Don't you have soccer practice to get to?"

Karise looked at the clock as well, sighing as she nodded. "Don't you have to get to the Cyber Café for set up?"

"Yea," Kira sighed. Trent was working today and, as much as she liked him as a friend, she didn't want him to try and flirt with her. She didn't want to break his heart, although she was beginning to feel that it was going to be unavoidable.

"Ya know," Karise said as she stepped out of her closet, soccer bag in hand, "you could just tell Trent that you're interested in someone else."

"But I'm not," Kira replied, far to fast to be convincing.

"If it wasn't for Ms. Kim's stories, I'd think all rangers were brain dead when it came to being a ranger in love." Karise told her.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Kira shot back.

"Keep telling yourself that Kira," Karise finished pulling on her shoes, "the both of you will figure it out eventually. If not, closets tend to work wonders."

Kira followed her friend down the stairs to where Conner was waiting for them both. At his appearance, Kira dropped the subject. Karise flashed a grin at them and began to think of a plan to get them to admit that they liked each other.


	7. Chapter 7

Now What?

Chapter 7

I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT AND MY OC PEOPLE!

* * *

Karise dodged Trent's blow, kicking out and managing to shove him away. She jumped away, getting out of his range. The other rangers were each paired up as well. They were supposed to be practicing the katas Tommy had shown them earlier, but her and Trent had begun to deviate.

Conner blocked Kira as he was supposed to, throwing his own attack back at her and being blocked as well. Kira was glaring at him.

"You could actually try Conner. I'm not going to break." She told him.

Conner frowned, "I know that Kira," he didn't want to explain that he wasn't pulling his punches because of that. He wasn't. He knew Kira could take a hit as well as anyone. The fact was that if he didn't concentrate, he'd speed up and not only hit harder then he was supposed to, but Kira would not be able to block in time. He didn't want to hurt her, even by accident.

"Then why are you holding back?" Kira grabbed his arm and flipped him instead of blocking.

Not expecting it, he reacted. Unfortunately, he reacted at super-speed. He landed lightly, shooting back up. Kira looked at him, wondering why he had just broken the 'no powers rule'. Conner looked down, ashamed. How could he explain that his powers were increasing?

"Sorry," he apologized, "do you want to go again?"

"You block this time," was all she said, tossing her own punch as hard as she could.

Conner blocked, kicking out in an attempt to get Kira off her feet. Kira dodged and they continued.

Ethan had been paired with Tommy. He grunted as he landed on his back again. He had managed to do the same with his teacher, but more often then not it was Ethan that ended up on the ground. Tommy helped him back up and they switched places.

"I give!" Trent called out.

The others stopped what they were doing and looked over at the white and green rangers. Tommy tried hard to hide his grin and look stern. Ethan was giggling madly. Kira was using Conner's shoulder to stifle her own giggles. Conner was torn between laughing and looking proud.

Karise had managed to get Trent on the ground and was now sitting on his back. Both of his arms were being held back, trapped beneath Karise's hands. Her knees were digging into the small of his back. His legs moved, but he couldn't get enough leverage to throw her off or roll over.

"Are you going to let him up Karise?" Tommy asked, knowing who she must have learned the move from. Jason and Kim had both gotten him with that move.

"I don't know yet," she replied.

"Please let me up," Trent asked, glaring at Ethan who was barely controlling his giggling.

"Only because you asked nicely." Karise leapt off of him, dodging out of the way as Trent tried to launch his own counter attack once he was able to. Karise grinned. "You have to be faster then that to catch a McKnight!" She teased, dodging again.

Trent growled, annoyed. He knew how hard it was to catch Conner. Dr. O had been easier to capture. Karise was nearly impossible. The girl also had his respect. She escaped capture and holds with ease, usually with moves like the one she had used on him.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Trent asked.

"I saw Ms. Kim use it on Jason," Karise grinned. "She taught it to me."

"Karise used it on him to," Kim added, watching from the back porch. "I'm not sure which was funnier, me or this short little ten-year-old defeating him in a sparing match."

Karise blushed. Tommy grinned. Conner and Kira were both grinning as well. Trent and Ethan, who knew from Tommy's Ranger History video how big Jason Scott was, looked at the girl in awe.

"How did Jason take it?" Tommy asked, "Do you have pictures?"

"Maybe," Kim replied with a smile. "I think Andros can beat the pictures though. He had a video camera."

Conner's cell phone rang. He answered it, his grin falling off his face. Karise froze, watching with horror as her cousin's face darkened. Kira looked at Conner, worried. She could feel the anger coming off of him.

"Karise and I have to get home Dr. O," Conner said once he had hung up.

"Is something wrong with Uncle Sam?" Karise asked, relieved when Conner shook his head.

"No, Dad's fine," Conner assured her. "Someone at the house wants to speak with you."

Karise felt her world crashing down around her. Her mind did not want to accept the possibility that she could be taken from the two people who meant the most to her. Not to mention her new teammates and friends. Before she even realized what she was doing, she was running.

"Karise!" Conner shouted, moving to go after her. Kira stopped him. He turned to yell at her, but the look of concern on her face stopped him. It was then he realized that he had not been the only one to call out Karise's name. He'd only been the loudest.

"What's going on Conner?" Kim looked angry. Tommy simply frowned. He didn't like it when Kim was upset, but he also knew better then to do anything until absolutely necessary. He did not want Kim's anger turned onto him.

Conner looked at all of them, debating upon what to do. Finally he sighed in defeat. Yes, he could outrun every single person here. That however would not help anything. Something told him that Karise would need all of them in the near future. He could only hope that Karise didn't hate him.

"My dad called to tell me that Social Services were at the house to speak with Karise. Her parents reported her as a runaway about a week ago; right after her school invited her back for the next term after discovering that she had been telling the truth all along." Conner explained what Karise had told him the morning after her arrival. "Dad gathered up all of the paperwork Karise had with her, including the bus schedule and her ticket. She had the receipt because she switched out her ticket for a cheaper one like she always does."

Kim was livid. Karise was one of her favorite students even though it was obvious that the girl disliked gymnastics. Kim, along with Jason, had recognized the look the girl held whenever she saw them sparing. It was what led them into teaching her how to fight and protect herself verses gymnastics. Kim was well aware that she had shown up to more of Karise's soccer games then anyone from her family had.

"Why did they do that?" Kira asked, "They know where she is!"

"I don't know," Conner replied. He paused, debating with himself. Karise was really the only person he allowed himself to be simply 'Conner' around. Karise was the same way. She knew how to act and what was expected. Now she did not and that was why she had run. "She's been having nightmares, but she won't talk about them."

"How do you know she's been having nightmares then?" Trent asked, wanting to go after his friend. She didn't expect him to be anything but himself. Not even Kira made him feel like that. He knew that Karise preferred girls, but she was almost like a sibling to him.

Conner didn't say anything. He would not tell them, no matter what. He already felt as if he were betraying his cousin. Kira knew the look Conner now had on his face. She also understood it. He had once promised her, after her music video fiasco, that he'd either always tell her the truth or not say anything at all.

"That doesn't matter right now," Kira came to his rescue. "I think we should all go to Conner's and see what we can do." She looked at Conner, wondering about Karise's comments. "Do you know where she could have gone?"

"Possibly," Conner replied, "but there's about a mile or so of woods to get thru to get to it from my house. I have no idea how far it would be from here."

"Right now I say we go with Kira's plan," Tommy told them. "Conner, we can go after Karise once we've spoken with your dad and whoever is at your house."

The teens nodded, heading to Conner's mustang and Trent's jeep. Tommy and Kim went to Tommy's jeep. They all followed Conner.

Sam was waiting out front when his son pulled up. He wondered why his son's friends were with him, along with one of his teachers and a woman that Sam did not know personally but recognized from a few of Karise's pictures. He also wanted to know where Karise was.

"Where's your cousin Conner?" Sam asked, worried.

Conner winched. "She ran off after we hung up. I tried to go after her, but you know how Karise is in the woods."

Sam nodded. He knew. Karise could stand beside you and you would never know it inside the woods. Conner tried, but there was just something about both of his sons that was obvious and loud even when they were being quiet.

"All of you can come inside," he invited them, going inside himself. They all followed.

A tall woman with bottle blonde hair and a fake tan sat on the couch in the McKnight living room. Conner instantly didn't like the woman. Something about her reminded him of Elsa, but he had a feeling that he'd prefer to be dealing with her then the woman currently sitting in his living room.

"Ms. Fields, this is my son Conner and his friends Kira, Ethan, and Trent from the Karate Club. Dr. Oliver, who is the teacher in charge of the club and is also Conner and Karise's science teacher, and Ms. Hart, Karise's gymnastics coach." Sam introduced them all.

The woman turned to look at them. "Is Ms. McKnight not with you? From what I have been told, that is where she is supposed to be."

Conner dearly wished he could inform the woman exactly why his cousin currently wasn't present, but had to remind himself that the social worker was not one of Mesogog's goons. Instead he settled for glaring.

"She's at the Cyber Café," Trent came up with, hoping Hayley would play along with his lie. "She had a shift today. In fact, I have to be there soon to help out. Conner," he looked to his friend, "do you mind if I use your phone to call my boss?" He knew that the less the woman knew the better.

"Sure," Conner told him, grateful that Trent had come up with a fairly believable excuse.

Trent went and made a quick phone call to Hayley. She readily agreed to give the girl an alibi. She knew that Karise was only sixteen, but she also knew the labor laws. She told Trent that they owed her the complete story and Trent agreed to share as soon as possible.

"Thanks Conner," Trent said, keeping with the lie, "I've got to go. Should I tell Karise that she needs to come home?"

Sam, not know what was going on but trusting Conner, answered. "No, let her finish out her shift. Tell her Conner or I will be there to pick her up."

Trent nodded, leaving quickly. He only hoped that he didn't get Karise in trouble. He knew the reason that Anton Mercer was never bothered by social workers was because of how much his father made. He squashed that thought. He would rescue his father from Mesogog, hopefully before the other Ranger's found out.

* * *

Karise ran. She knew she probably leapt several times, but mostly she only registered the running. She knew she would have to go home and face what had to be faced. Rangers didn't run away from anything. Of course, she'd rather be facing one of Mesogog's goons then what was waiting for her at home.

She finally came to a stop, blinking at the place where she was. It was a small clearing about a mile away from Conner's house. On one side of the clearing, up in the trees, was a tree house. She, Conner, and Eric had built it when they were younger with help from Uncle Sam. She knew that all three of them could still fit inside of it, even if it was a bit of a tight fit.

Karise climbed into the tree that held the main part of the tree house. It stretched back one tree and out to a tree on either side. Some of it was only a few years old, but the main part was the oldest. She carefully fit her long frame inside. It had only been in the last three years that she had begun to shoot up to nearly match Conner and Eric in height.

Here was safe. She could forget for a little while about the lemons life had thrown at her. She had yet to manage to make the lemonade; she wasn't sure how to do so exactly.

Karise knew that Uncle Sam would be worried, Conner would be to.

Ms. Kim would wait for her to be ready to talk and Karise had a feeling that Dr. O would be there as well.

Trent, quiet and secretive, wouldn't pry. He'd only tell her that he was there if she wanted to talk.

Conner would make sure that she was kept busy until she finally told him what had unsettled her enough to run.

Ethan would ignore it until Karise brought it up unless he became curious or irritated enough to bring it up on his own.

Kira was a lot like Conner, Ms. Kim, and Trent. She would let Karise come to her when she was ready unless what was going on put others in danger. Then Kira would want to know even if Karise wasn't ready to talk about it.

"I thought this is where you would have gone," Conner was standing below her, looking up. "Can I come up?"

"It's your tree house to," Karise replied, moving over so that Conner could sit beside her. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Karise must have been gone for longer then she thought she had been.

"Dad told the social worker that she'd have to come back another time. She wasn't too happy about it, but I think Kira and Ms. Kim were scaring her." Conner told her. "Trent told her that you were working at Hayley's. That's why my car is now parked at Kira's. I'm picking you up."

Karise shook her head. "Why didn't you just tell them that I ran away? It's what I did."

Conner sighed. "You were scared; none of us blame you for bolting."

"But what if I did that in battle? Or during a soccer game?" Karise asked, "How can I be a Ranger when I run away from what scares me?"

Conner sighed. He wasn't a shrink, he was only seventeen (almost eighteen). What was he supposed to say?

"Did I ever tell you that I nearly ran away from being a Ranger?" Conner saw her shake her head. "I did. You know what I want to do, play soccer. Being a Ranger was never in my plans. Dr. O told me it was my choice. He would understand if I quit."

"You didn't though," Karise pointed out. "You're still a Ranger, and a good one at that."

Conner knew he was blushing. "Yea, but I almost did. That's not the point though." Karise didn't say anything. "The point is we're here for you. Dad may not know what Karate Club really is, but he won't let you go without a fight. Ms. Kim was absolutely livid when I told her why Dad was calling, that proves that she cares for you a lot. Dr. O cares, that much is obvious enough that even I see it."

"I keep so many secrets though Conner, how can anyone…?" She trailed off, looking at the ground.

"Everyone has secrets Karise," Conner told her, "why should you be any different?"

Conner was surprised when Karise began to cry. Karise didn't cry often. The first morning she had been in Reefside had been an oddity. He had seen her fall and break her arm, never did she shed a tear. Even when she had begun to cry the day that his dad had come home and told them about Social Services wanting to speak with Karise, Conner had been shocked at her reaction.

"Karise?" Conner asked, unsure of what to do. The way there were sitting made it awkward for him to hug her. He wasn't even sure if Karise would allow him to do so.

"I'm sorry Conner," Karise said through her tears. "I never wanted to tell anyone. Ms. Kim and Jason taught me how to protect myself, but I couldn't do anything against her. She'll never let me go Conner." Karise cried harder, even though she was trying to stop her tears.

"Who?" Conner asked, wondering who could possibly want to harm Karise to where she was a complete wreck. "Who hurt you Karise?"

Karise didn't say anything. She pulled up her pant legs. Conner drew in a sharp breath. Up, down, across, and crisscrossed, some close together and others far apart, scars littered Karise's legs. Conner briefly ran thru all of the areas he never saw bare on his cousin that normally would be.

"How far do they go up?" He asked, wondering who had done this. All her knew was that it was a woman. He would find out who.

"To about the middle of my back and stomach," Karise admitted. "I couldn't fight her Conner! How could I?"

"Who?" Conner asked again. "Karise, you need to tell me."

"She never wanted a daughter," Karise said instead, "She never wanted me! No matter what I did, she didn't care! I was a mistake!"

Conner froze. It couldn't be. His aunt had always treated him and Eric kindly, almost as she treated her own sons. Yet, something finally clicked. Karise always coming in last. Karise being shoved aside, ignored unless she was needed to do something. He remembered the fight his dad had had with his aunt over Karise's room here. Conner knew he wasn't supposed to have heard it, and he didn't understand it and barely even remembered it. He remembered Karise always coming for nearly the whole summer break, for vacations and even Christmas one year when the rest of her family went on a cruise.

"She won't hurt you again," Conner promised, "I won't let her."

* * *

Tommy watched as Kim paced in his living room. They had come home a few hours ago. They were waiting for the call from Conner saying that he had found Karise or that she had come home.

His communicator beeped. He grimaced. Of course Mesogog wanted to play now.

"Dr. O here," Tommy spoke, wondering who was calling for help.

"Hey, this is Trent. Elsa and the newest monster are attacking the docks," Trent explained. "Ethan and Kira are with me. How soon can you get here?"

"I'm coming now," Tommy assured his white teammate. "Any word?"

"No, but then Kira hasn't said anything yet." Trent explained. He had left calling Conner up to Kira. None of them knew if Karise would be ready to join them again just yet. They didn't even know if Conner had found her yet.

"Alright," Tommy sighed, glancing at Kim. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Go," Kim said once Tommy had stopped talking with Trent. "I'll be here when you get back."

Kim went down to the command center while Tommy morphed and went to where his teammates and students needed his help.

The monster currently destroying the docks was part cat and, Tommy was certain, part tiger tank. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know where Elsa had gotten a tiger tank from.

Elsa smirked as the four rangers gathered to face off against her. She ordered Tanker-Cat to attack the three teen rangers while she engaged Tommy. She also sent drones to further divide the rangers into smaller forces.

"Did you lose a few rangers?" She mocked, lashing out and managing to toss Tommy several feet away.

Kira found herself on her own against Tanker-Cat. Trent and Ethan were fighting off the drones, trying to get to her to help, but currently failing miserably. She hoped Conner got here soon, Karise with him. She was tossed back, hit in the chest by some kind of missile shaped like a claw. She hit the wall of a warehouse hard. She grunted, standing up just in time to see a blur of red crash into the monster.

"Need some help?" Karise appeared beside her, offering a hand up.

"Thanks," Kira took it and managed to stand up straight. She did not want to think about the bruise she was certain to have after this battle. "Shall we join Conner?"

"Of course," Karise replied.

Together, they went to help Conner. They quickly learned that if they didn't want flying lessons, they needed to avoid being hit by the claw missiles. Ethan and Trent joined them after a few of the missiles took care of the drones they'd been fighting. Elsa left, annoyed at the loss of the drones and the fact that Tommy was now beating her. Tanker-Cat followed after.

"Why were they attacking the dock?" Kira asked. They were in an older section not populated by very many people. There was nothing here worth anything except for possibly some rusted scrap metal.

"I don't know," Tommy replied as he powered down. The others followed his example.

"Maybe we should look around," Karise suggested.

Tommy shook his head. "I'll have Hayley scan the area. You need to get home and talk with your uncle." Karise hung her head, ashamed. Tommy calmly placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're all here if you need to talk Karise," he told her quietly, "even power rangers get scared sometimes."

Karise smiled at him. "Thanks Dr. O," she turned to Conner. "Let's go home."

Conner grinned and nodded. Trent offered to give the others a ride home. Conner looked at him carefully before nodding in thanks. Kira shook her head at Trent's offer, opting instead to go with the McKnight cousins.

"You two have to come to my house anyway," she told them, "that's where Conner's car is."


	8. Chapter 8

Now What?

Chapter 8

I OWN NOTHING **POWER RANGER** RELATED! I only own my OC people and the plot.

* * *

They were back at the docks. Hayley had picked up an energy signal of what she thought to be another dino-egg. They weren't sure what it was, but Tommy wanted them to find it before Elsa did.

Conner sighed, glancing at his partner. Kira hadn't really spoken to him since their last sparing match the day before. This was not how he had wanted to spend his spring break. He wondered if he should apologize, but what did he have to apologize about? It wasn't like he was that good at saying he was sorry anyway. Kira probably wouldn't even believe him.

"I think the scanners broken," Kira broke the silence.

"Dr. O said that they were all working," Conner replied without thinking. "Are you getting anything thing at all?" He backtracked, trying to cover up what he knew Kira would take as an insult. He wished Karise was here instead. She was easier to talk to and Conner didn't have a crush on her.

Kira glared at him. Why couldn't he just talk to her? It wasn't as if she'd bite him! Okay, so she might. She wished Karise was here. The younger girl understood the boy beside her far better then she did. Karise also didn't have a crush on him.

Before Kira could comment vocally, Trent called on the communicators.

"Hey, have you two found anything?"

"No," Kira replied. "Our scanner isn't working for some reason."

"We'll head over to you guys then," Ethan piped up, "ours is working just fine."

"Okay," Kira told him where they were at. The two of them would be there in about five minuets.

"Where's Karise?" Kira asked. Their green ranger had been reclusive all day. Even on the walk home yesterday the girl had been quiet.

Conner sighed. "She's talking with my dad. They're going to go and speak with the woman from yesterday afterwards."

"You aren't going to go with them?" Kira was surprised. Conner was more overprotective of Karise then he was of her. It had taken her a long time to realize that Conner was just like that about the females in his life.

"Karise didn't want me to, so I'm not." He explained. "She shared with me yesterday. I don't think she wants to have to say it, much less show it, to me again so soon."

Kira knew better then to ask. Conner had had a hard enough time yesterday telling them about Karise.

"Well, well," they spun around at the sound, "two rangers all alone. Where are you're little friends?" Tanker-Cat was standing behind them. "Doesn't matter, Tyrano-drones attack!"

Both teens began fighting. The drones were more annoying than anything else. They morphed to get rid of them quickly. It was clear that Tanker-Cat was looking for something.

"Need some help?" Ethan, already morphed, crash-landed on a drone that was sneaking up on Conner.

"Thanks," Conner said quickly. With the addition of Ethan and Trent, the drones didn't stand a chance.

All four of them went after the monster. Tanker-Cat wasn't that powerful. He launched missile attacks at them that were easy enough to dodge. That was about it. He was slow and it almost made the rangers feel bad about fighting him until several missiles they thought to be duds exploded. A large net covered all four rangers, seeming to adjust to just the right amount of weight needed to keep them down.

Tanker-Cat giggled, poking fun at the rangers. At least, he was until Tommy showed up and blasted him with a Fire Orb from his Bracio-staff. While the monster struggled to get up, Tommy dealt with the net. He managed to free Kira (who was glad for her helmet at the moment) and Conner (also glad for his helmet). When the net had exploded, Conner had grabbed Kira in an attempt to help her avoid the net altogether. Instead, she had ended up on top of him with the net pressing them down.

"Thanks Dr. O," Conner managed to get out. Kira echoed him.

Tommy grinned underneath his helmet. "Go take care of ugly over there while I get the others." He wondered when his red and yellow teammates would realize they had feelings for each other.

"On it," both replied, heading into battle.

Trent and Ethan were harder to free, but Tommy managed it. They jumped back just in time as the net exploded once again. This time it exploded into pieces no bigger than confetti.

"Stupid rangers!" Tanker-Cat growled out. "Blow up already!"

"Not very nice, is he?" Conner quipped, trying to get Kira to talk to him.

Kira didn't say anything. Instead, she just continued to fight. Conner joined her, staying silent. Tanker-Cat ran away eventually.

"Since when does Elsa send out such lame-brain monsters?" Ethan asked once they were back in their command center.

"Maybe she finally ran out of ideas," Kira added in. "He certainly isn't battle-oriented."

"Still, what is at the warehouse?" Kim asked, "Did you guys find anything?"

"Nothing," Trent replied.

"Our scanner didn't work," Conner added in.

"Did you mess with the settings?" Hayley asked, remembering the last time Conner had been touching the scanner.

"I held it the entire time," Kira defended Conner, "it stopped working once we entered the building. Conner never touched it."

"So we know something's there," Tommy added in, "but no one has been able to find it."

"Maybe it's another dino-gem," Conner suggested.

"We'd have picked it up on the scanner," Hayley dismissed the idea.

Conner opened his mouth to suggest something, but closed it. He had another idea, but for some reason Hayley was still upset at him for breaking one of the handheld scanners. He knew Hayley didn't think he was that stupid.

"Has anyone heard from Karise?" Trent asked, deciding that the subject needed to be changed.

"No," Conner was the first one to speak up. "Dr. O, I'm going to head home now. Call me if you need me." He left, racing out of the command center at his top speed.

Kira stared after him. Something was going on with Conner. Yesterday, when they were sparing, he'd used his speed. Yet he hadn't seemed to have meant to do it. Now, when he could have simply walked out, he ran. She had to wonder if maybe Conner was having a difficult time in controlling it. She was used to controlling her voice from her singing. She knew that Trent was used to blending in. Ethan was used to having shields, be it physical or mental. Dr. O was used to being abnormal from being a power ranger.

"Oh, Conner's going to get it," Ethan snickered. Dr. O had cautioned them on using their gem-given powers outside of a fight.

Tommy glanced at his blue team-mate. "Don't you all have places to be?" He asked, looking at all of them.

Kira and Hayley could take the hint. Hayley grabbed Trent while Kira grabbed Ethan. They dragged them away. Kim shook her head. Tommy only grinned.

* * *

Karise sighed, annoyed. She knew that Dr. O would have them searching for the energy signature. However, no one was there. She wondered where they all were, but decided that it wasn't that important at the moment. It wasn't as if she'd be much company anyway.

"Stupid woman," she cursed softly, kicking some debris out of the way.

Something glittered out of the corner of her eye. Turning back, she caught another glimpse of it. Crouching down, she cleared away the remaining debris to reveal a green egg. Carefully, she picked it up and cradled it in her arms. It was warm and pulsed gently as she held it.

"I see you once again found just what I wanted," Elsa spoke, causing Karise to leap up and around to glare.

"This doesn't belong to you Elsa," Karise replied, hugging the egg to her. She stepped back, kicking away a few loose stones. She looked down to see what Elsa was now staring at. There was another egg. Not even thinking about it, she grabbed it as well.

"Give those to me," Elsa demanded.

"Never," Karise was tired of having things taken from her. "You'll have to kill me first."

Elsa grinned. "My pleasure." She attacked.

Karise jumped out of the way. Her hands were full and she didn't dare drop the eggs so that she could morph. Elsa didn't care. She attacked anyway.

_Run away Mommy!_

Karise stumbled when she landed. What was that? Elsa attacked again, growing annoyed now because while she knew that she had managed to injure the green ranger, it was more by fluke than an actual hit.

_Watch out Mommy!_

Karise dodged again. She spared a glance down at the eggs in her hands. Were the voice, and therefore the warnings, coming from one of the eggs? It had to be. It was the only thing that made sense. Growling, she dodged, kicking out at Elsa at the same time.

Elsa growled, wiping away the trickle of blood coming from her busted lip. "Damn brat! You'll pay for that!" The woman hissed out.

_You'll have to get through __**us**__ first._

Karise turned to see where the voice, and the new hissing sounds, was coming from. She blinked in surprise as three raptors appeared in front of her. One was red and obviously the leader. The other two were blue and yellow. She felt one of the eggs warm in her hands.

Confused, she backed away from the raptors. Thankfully however, Dr. O, already morphed, jumped into the fray and took over the fight with Elsa. He had followed the Raptor Riders after they had broken out of their pen. They were violent and unpredictable, the main reason why the rangers rarely used them and why Hayley had designed the Raptor Cycles.

Karise held the eggs close to her body as the three raptors approached, seeming perfectly alright with leaving Dr. O to fight Elsa. She wasn't scared of them, just curious. The red one nudged her. Karise held perfectly still. Somehow, she understood that he was simply looking her over for injuries.

With caution, she reached out and petted the red raptor. She giggled when he rubbed her hand like a cat wanting more attention. Now the yellow and blue ones nudged her as well. She shook her head, already holding both eggs in one arm.

Karise yelped when she felt herself lifted into the air. The blue raptor had lifted her onto the back of the red one. Once she was settled, all three took off. Karise held on, not realizing that there was a grin on her face.

Kim yelped in surprise when Karise, riding a raptor of all creatures, entered the command center.

"Hi Ms. Kim," Karise greeted, "Surprise?"

Kim shook her head. "Somehow I don't think this is what Jason had in mind when he came up with your nickname."

"Karise, are you alright?" Tommy, de-morphed, appeared beside Kim. He glanced warily at the Raptor Riders. He had never seen them so calm.

"I'm fine," Karise replied with a winch. "Or at least, I'm not dead."

"Why were you fighting Elsa?" Tommy demanded.

"She wanted my eggs," Karise blinked, wondering how that answer made any sense.

"Eggs?" Kim snickered as Karise blushed upon realizing how her answer could be taken.

"These eggs," Karise held out the two green eggs towards Tommy.

The red raptor, who Karise was still on, snapped at Tommy when he tried to take the eggs.

"Stop that Rex!" Karise commanded, the red raptor ducking his head in what could only be shame.

"Rex?" Tommy eyed the raptors with caution.

Karise nodded, "That's his name, or at least that's what I've been calling him."

She carefully slid off of Rex's back. She handed both eggs to Tommy. "I found those right before Elsa attacked me." She eyed the eggs as Tommy handled them. She found herself anxious, wanting to take them back and protect them until they were ready to hatch.

"This one's a dino-zord egg," Tommy was looking at the larger egg. "I'm not sure about the other one."

"It's a raptor," Karise replied, blinking as she realized that she had no way of knowing that for certain. To her surprise, the three raptor riders were nodding their heads in agreement.

Tommy watched in awe as the three raptors, none of which were exactly tame around any of the rangers, gathered around Karise and nudged her for attention. The green ranger happily gave it to them. He glanced at Kim only to find her smiling softly at Karise.

Kim knew that Tommy hadn't been around Karise long enough to notice it, but Karise was a lot like Tommy had been when he was younger and a lot like her as well. At first it was just the girl's skill at the different fighting styles that Kim and Jason had taken to teaching her along with her habit of wearing green, but it had evolved the longer the girl spent in Kim's company. It wouldn't surprise Kim at all if Karise, later on, collected her own ranger rainbow of uniforms.

"Hey Dr. O," Karise turned to look at her two mentors, "why haven't we been using the Raptor Riders in battle? I mean, with their speed Tanker-cat's missiles wouldn't be able to hit us."

"Because until today, they haven't behaved," Tommy explained, "usually, they're unpredictable. The rangers only used them once, but after that it just wasn't worth the trouble to try and get them to listen to anyone because they simply wouldn't." Tommy winched a bit as he remembered the number of bruises the three raptors had given him during his attempts.

Karise nodded, her mind elsewhere as she thought about what Dr. O had just told her. Absently, she stroked Rex's head as she thought. She remembered how the smaller egg had reacted to the presence of the three raptors.

Tommy had already set the smaller egg aside. Karise picked it back up, studying it. It did seem to grow warmer as she brought it closer to Rex. Petra (the yellow raptor) and Trike (the blue raptor) came closer as well.

A burst of green light and Karise's cry of surprise alerted Tommy and Kim that something had happened. They turned to look and stared in shock at the green raptor shaking its head.

With a yawn and what sounded like a whistle, the green raptor nuzzled Karise. It crooned something that sounded amazingly like 'mommy'.


	9. Chapter 9

Now What?

Chapter Nine

I DO NOT OWN PRDT!

* * *

Conner stared at his cousin as if she had grown a second head. The Raptor Riders didn't talk. They were wild and didn't listen to anyone. They most definitely did _not_ consider the rangers their parents.

"Conner?" Karise said softly, "Are you alright?" Conner was still staring at her in disbelief. She looked at Kira, who had been the ranger to arrive right after Conner.

Kim and Tommy watched the three. Kim was finding the entire thing amusing, especially since Karise was now sitting on the floor surrounded by all four raptors. Tommy was looking up everything he had on the Raptor Riders. He was beginning to fear that the biological parts of the creatures were becoming far more dominant than ever intended. Hopefully that wasn't the case, but he had to check to make sure.

"Whoa," Ethan and Trent came to a halt when they entered, "why are the Raptor Riders loose?"

"I think the better question would be: why are they guarding Karise?" Trent added in, looking over the group of five gathered in one corner of the lab.

"They seem think Karise is their mother," Kira explained. "Conner is still in shock."

"No way," Ethan shook his head in disbelief. "They don't even like us. Are you sure they just don't want Karise for dinner?"

Trike hissed at Ethan, who leapt away from the blue raptor. It lay back down, certain that Ethan wasn't going to be getting any closer. The blue ranger just stared at it in wonder.

"Whoa, way cool." Ethan grinned, imagining the damage the Raptor Riders could do in battle.

"Cool?" Conner stared at his techno-geek friend, "How can this be cool?"

"Dude, imagine the damage they could do in battle." Ethan told him, unperturbed at Conner's freaking out. "They worked the first time we used them in battle."

"We only used them once," Conner reminded him, "because we can't control them!"

"I can," Karise told him. "Or rather, they listen to me. They'll help if I ask them to." She cocked her head to the side, eyes going blank for a few seconds before she blinked and snickered. "Rex agrees, but only if you calm down."

Conner stared at the Raptor Riders in disbelief. "Calm down? This has to be the weirdest thing, period, to ever happen."

Petra snorted from her place on the floor that she had claimed to curl up in. Rex tried to curl up beside her, but she nipped at him. He dodged back, but came forward again from a different angle. This repeated several times, Trike watching with amusement when he wasn't paying attention to the humans talking. They were almost as interesting as his pack-mates.

Rap, the green raptor, watched what was going on around her, ready to defend Karise at the first sign of danger. She ignored the other three raptors, knowing that she was the one in charge of them even if the red ranger was the leader among the humans. After all, her ranger human was the Green Raptor Ranger.

"Enough," Tommy finally called a halt to the arguing. "Hayley will run some scans on the Riders. For right now, go home and take care of the things you've been letting slide recently. I know Spring Break starts Monday, but you still have two days of school left until then."

All five teenagers groaned, knowing that their teacher/mentor was correct. They said their goodbyes, Karise staying just long enough to tell the Riders goodnight as well. She smirked at the sight of Petra and Rex curled up together. Maybe her cousin and Kira had someone else in their corner as well.

* * *

"I still don't get it," Conner said later that night once his dad had gone to bed and only he and Karise were awake. Technically they were studying, but Karise was already finished with her work.

"Don't get what Conner?" Karise asked, sitting up from reading one of the books she had brought along with her. They were in her room, since it was easier to hear if someone else was in the house from here verses in Conner's room.

"Why the Raptor Riders took to you like that." He explained. "They tossed Dr. O around like an empty grain sack. We only got them to obey us in one battle. You not only find another one, but get all four of them to listen to you. I don't get it."

"I'm not sure I do either," she admitted. "Maybe it's like with your battlizer, more power needed because the bad guys got stronger."

Conner grinned. He remembered how fast the Raptor Riders could move. Admittedly, the Raptor Cycles were faster, but not as maneuverable. He was just concerned that they would turn on Karise, who already cared for them. She'd been hurt enough by the people who claimed to care for her already.

"You're sure about this, using the Riders in battle?"

"Yes," Karise answered immediately, "as sure as I am that you're in love with Kira."

Conner went red, but he didn't deny it. Karise could smell lies, or at least he and Eric were under the impression that she could.

"She still likes Trent," Conner reminded her. "I don't stand a chance; Kira would never go out with a jock like me. She can do better."

Kira rolled her eyes. Set him up against any number of air-headed idiots of the female side of the human species and her cousin was fine. The same went for going against Mesogog's goons or a rival soccer team. Yet set him up against a girl that was his equal or surpassed him in some way and he didn't know how to go about his attraction to them, if he was attracted to them beyond their outwardly appearance.

"Undoubtedly," she agreed with him, "but then, how are you so sure she likes Trent as anything other than a friend?"

Conner opened his mouth to explain, but closed it again. Karise grinned, knowing that she'd won this round.

"Come on," she stood up, "let's go to bed and pick this conversation up in the morning. Dr. O did have a point, we do have school tomorrow."

"Yea, because for some reason the bad guys never pick the high school to demolish." Conner said, blatant sarcasm in his tone.

Karise grinned, shooing him out of her room. "That's most likely due to the fact that the bad guys like seeing people tortured, and what better way than torture that is considered legal and doesn't get their hands dirty doing it?"

Conner shook his head and wished her goodnight, heading towards his own room. Karise watched until he'd disappeared down the stairs. Then she returned to her room and closed the door.

Changing into her pajamas, she picked up the worn stuffed lion that had guarded her sleep for years. It was, ironically, named Conner. It was patched and faded in places, tears sewn back together with varying levels of skill and colored threads. It was the one thing she never went without, and had hid several times in order to keep it safe.

Climbing into bed, she sighed as she drifted into sleep. She wasn't sure why they trusted her and believed in her, she wasn't worth it. She just hoped that they would discover that before it was too late and she was attached to them.

* * *

The next day at school, it was obvious that things were going to continue as normal. Conner actually stood up to Randall when she attempted to give Karise a detention for missing the previous day of school. The woman surprisingly backed down, but only after Tommy had arrived on the scene and sided with Conner. They had all watched her go with varying feelings, mostly centered on dislike.

"You know," Kira spoke up after Randall had gone out of sight, "one of these days, she's finally going to crack and quite."

"That or be dragged out in a straight jacket," Ethan added.

Tommy desperately wanted to laugh at the image Ethan's comment had brought up. Instead, he advised them not to annoy Randall and to get to class before she actually did have a reason to give them detention. There was no telling if Tommy would be able to arrange it so that they would have it with him.

They went, and as usual nothing ranger-wise occurred during the actual school day. After school, Conner and Karise reported to soccer practice, Ethan to computer club, Kira to rehearsal, and Trent to the Cyber Café. None of them were relaxed, waiting for Tanker-Cat to show up again.

They didn't need to wait for very long. Near the end of soccer practice, Tanker-Cat appeared in a flash of black and green light. The soccer coach told the players to run and get away from the monster and they followed him as he led the way.

Conner and Karise peeled off from the group in the confusion and turned around to face Tanker-Cat. Karise called Ethan, but the blue ranger was already on his way since someone had already shouted out 'monster' in the hallways. Tommy was still at the school as well and it didn't take him long to join the other three.

"Where are Trent and Kira?" He asked, joining the fight with the tryanno-drones.

"On their way," Conner replied, having already sent out the distress call from his morpher.

"Okay, this is getting old," Karise jump kicked another drone, her power sending her crashing thru several of them before she bounded away to engage more of them.

"Ready?" Conner called, backing away from the pile of drones he'd just finished with.

"Ready!" They others replied.

"DINO THUNDER, POWER UP! HA!"

Tanker-Cat giggled with glee as he sent missiles towards the now morphed rangers. They dodged, but were hit by exploding shrapnel that threw them back and away from their current foe and each other. While Tanker-Cat taunted the rangers he was facing, Kira and Trent, already morphed, attacked him from behind.

He staggered and turned to the new arrivals. He glared at them, shooting off more missiles towards them.

Conner snagged Kira out of the way of one of them, Karise beside them. Trent was helping Ethan up, Tommy dragging them both out of the way.

"We're never going to get close enough at this rate," Ethan muttered. Every time they got close enough to land an attack, they had to abort due to the missiles. The mini-missiles hurt far more than they should have been able to.

"I think now would be a good time," Tommy called to Karise, whose grin was feral under her helmet.

"Raptor Riders, online!" She called out, leaping onto her green raptor's back. Conner, Kira, and Ethan followed her lead, all of three of them surprised when the Riders didn't offer up their usual resistance.

With the Raptor Rider's speed, they could get close enough to Tanker-Cat to hit him and dodge the missiles he sent at them. Once Tanker-Cat fell, the other two rangers joined them, brought their weapons together and destroyed Tanker-Cat.

Which didn't last long as Else brought him back giant-sized. The rangers called their zords, Karise getting to call her new Raptor Zord to join the fray. She and Trent combined their zords to form the Drator-megazord to help the others, using the auxiliary zords as back-up.

Tanker-Cat went down, much easier than he had the first time.

The rangers regrouped, unmorphed, in Tommy's classroom. Karise's grin was wide and truly happy, glad that her idea had worked. She didn't see it, but Conner was smiling proudly at her. Kira spotted it though and she hid her own grin.

"What do you think Dr. O?" Kira asked, "The Riders come in handy this time."

"Yes," he looked at the green ranger, "they did. The only question is if they'll still be useful."

Karise shrugged. "They enjoyed the battle; they also like messing with you guys. I don't know why they'll listen if I ask, but they already said they would."

"So we'll get to use them again?" Ethan's grin was large and gleeful.

"They want to help Dr. O," Karise added in. She looked confused for a moment. "Rap says that they were simply waiting for the right time."

"How do you know that?" Conner asked, looking at his cousin weirdly.

"She's communicating telepathically with them," Tommy answered for her. He looked at the clock. "We all need to get home. I'll see you all tomorrow."

The teenagers nodded and left, Conner offering the others a ride home. They took it, since Trent's jeep was still at the café. Conner dropped him and Ethan off there, taking Kira home after she grabbed her guitar from the back room.

"Still think you don't stand a chance with Kira?" Karise asked once Conner was certain their yellow teammate was inside her home. "One would think that if she were interested in Trent, she would have stayed at the café."

"He was working," Conner hedged, wondering why he had even told Karise about his feelings for Kira.

"So? She still could have stayed and studied there, or work on her next song. It isn't like Trent wouldn't have gone out of his way to make sure she had everything she needed to be comfortable, or that he couldn't have given her a ride home once he was finished with work." Karise grinned as Conner's eyes darkened in jealousy over that thought.

"Maybe she just didn't want to wait around that long, or she has other things she needed to do today." Conner suggested.

Karise dropped the subject. She'd seen Conner crushing before, but this was different. It proved to Karise that Kira wasn't just another girl to Conner. He respected her enough that he wasn't using any of his normal tricks to get her to go out with him. He wasn't even willing to try them. A good thing, since Kira would never take him seriously if he did.

"What should we have for dinner?" She changed the subject. "I feel like cooking tonight."

"Omelets?" Conner suggested, remembering the breakfast Karise had made for them the first morning she'd been in Reefside.

"Sure," She grinned. "Race ya to the kitchen!" She took off out of the car, getting a head start since Conner had to turn the car off and get out.

He caught up with her at the front door before she slipped inside. He flashed a grin as he beat her inside, Karise speeding up and sliding into the kitchen in a sliding tackle behind Conner. He dodged, grabbing her shoulder before she hit the cabinet doors.

"What are you two doing?" Sam entered after the two teens, looking at them. Just like always, they were acting as if they'd never spent any time apart.

"Racing," Karise replied, standing up. "Have you eaten dinner yet Uncle Sam?"

"No, I've been waiting until you two got home. How was practice?" He looked them both over, eyebrow raised at the fact they were still in their practice clothes.

"Good," Conner replied, "at least until one of those monster things attacked."

"Are you two alright?" Sam looked them over again, looking to reassure himself that both of them were, in actuality, perfectly alright.

"Yea," Karise answered, "the rangers got there not to long after the monster arrived." Part of her felt really bad for having to lie to her uncle and not being able to tell him the truth.

Sam sighed. "What do you guys want for dinner? I'll fix it while you two go change."

"Actually I was going to make omelets," Karise replied.

"No, you two go clean up. You can cook another night Karise." Sam told her, shooing the both of them out of the kitchen. He needed to think, and he couldn't do that with them in the room.

Karise nodded, hurrying up to her room. Conner watched her go and then returned to the kitchen. Karise wouldn't ask, but he would.

"What is it Dad?" Conner watched as his dad turned to face him.

Sam McKnight sighed. Conner played the air-headed jock far too well at times. Even he tended to forget that Conner cared about more things then soccer.

"Francis and Nicole are denying Karise's claims." He told his son. "Francis doesn't believe Nicole could do such a thing and Nicole won't admit anything that she knows is wrong about her and the way she acts."

"So what's going to happen to Karise? You can't let her go back there!" Conner's mind ran ideas through it far faster than he was used to.

Sam sighed. "I'm not, and I don't want to do so. I may have to." He caught Conner's eyes with his and held them. "I don't really have a choice here Conner; Karise has been and always will be welcome here. Nothing is going to change that."

"But then what are we going to do?" Conner was trying to figure out some way to protect Karise.

"For right now, you and Karise are going to continue doing what you normally do. Play soccer, go to school, hang out with your friends, go to karate club, add to the tree house, whatever. I'll think of something, not you two." He looked hard at Conner. "Understood?"

"I understand," Conner replied. He left to go to his room.

Sam watched him go; saddened to think that there was quite a lot he wouldn't be able to do. He didn't want to take his own brother to court, but he'd seen enough to know that he also couldn't send his only niece back to a place where it was obvious that she wasn't safe. He honestly didn't know what to do, and he didn't like it one bit.

* * *

Conner slammed his fist into the wall of his room. Not watching his control, his fist sped up so that when it hit the wall, it sank into it an inch or two with very little damage to Conner's hand. He stared at it, cursing softly to himself as he extracted his hand. He really needed to talk to Dr. O about his speed getting away from his control. None of the others seemed to be having difficulties with their dino-gem power.

Sighing, he changed into his normal sleepwear. His dad was right; there really wasn't anything he could do. That bothered him. He didn't like not being able to protect someone he cared for, especially when it seemed he had failed at doing it.

How had he not noticed that Karise had been treated so badly? He knew he could be dense at times, but was he really that dense? He hadn't thought so, but now he wasn't so sure.


	10. Chapter 10

Now What?

Chapter Ten

I DO NOT OWN POWER RANGERS!

* * *

Elsa was not happy at the moment. Mesogog was not pleased by the recent failures. She needed some way to get back at the rangers, a way that would weaken them that they would not easily overcome. Elsa needed something that would separate them and force them to fight alone, with no way to actually help one another.

How to do that was the main problem she faced. From what she knew, the rangers were always together either as a group or in pairs with the others only a call away. Except when they were in their homes for the night, sleeping.

Elsa paused in her thinking. An evil smile spread across her face. Her plan was perfect. She went to the main computer and began her research. Her smile stayed in place as her plan came together. Even if it wouldn't be permanent, it would be a start in the right direction. Typing in a few more commands, Elsa engaged the program.

The rangers would be having anything but a restful night.

* * *

_Conner looked around him, confused by his surroundings. Why was he at the beach? Of all places, the beach was the one place he rarely went. Not being able to swim kind of made going to the beach a chore more than an enjoyable outing._

_Looking around, he noticed that there didn't seem to be any water around. That was strange, since he knew he could hear it. Moving slowly, he headed towards the sound. Shells were scattered across the sand. None of them looked like the kind you would pick up and take home with you. The pieces of driftwood he came across were worn into grotesque shapes that made him give them a wide berth._

_The water was closer now and he could see it. He stopped, figuring that he was close enough. He looked around him again, not seeing anyone. That freaked him out, since even in the dead of winter there was usually someone at the beach. There weren't even any birds flying around._

_Conner looked down when he felt something wet lapping at his bare feet. He jumped, coming down with a splash as he saw that the ocean had crept up on him. He looked around, dread filling him when he realized that he was surrounded by water. Water that was slowly rising. Already it was about mid-calf. _

_With a sudden lurch, Conner felt the ground drop out from under him. He was plunged beneath the waves. He struggled to reach the surface, freaking out even worse than he had been before. He couldn't swim! _

_No better time to learn then now__, part of his brain thought. Conner ignored that part, wishing with all his might that he had somebody with him that knew how to swim. _

_Conner came up above the surface of the water, gulping in air before he was dragged under again. This was bad, very bad. It was his worst fear come to life. Not even being able to help Karise or losing Kira to another guy compared to this fear._

_He broke the surface again, gasping in more air. He swirled around, searching for anything that would help him. Trying to remember the few basic things he did know about swimming, he realized that the water wasn't wet._

_That realization struck home and he stopped struggling. Why would the water not be wet? He almost hit himself in the head, but pinched himself instead…_

With a jolt, Conner sat up in his bed with a gasp. Looking around him, he relaxed once he realized that he was safe in his bedroom. He looked at his arm, a bruise forming where he had actually pinched himself in his sleep. That was so strange, dreaming of drowning like that. Usually he could ignore that fear, and if he did have dreams involving water they were nothing like the one he had just experienced.

Getting up, Conner had the sudden urge to check on Karise. Not questioning it, he made his way up the stairs.

* * *

_Karise was confused, looking around her. She was not in her room, safe in her bed under her covers. She was still dressed in her pajamas, but they seemed big on her. As if she had shrunk somehow in her sleep. Karise didn't like this one bit._

_Where ever she was, it was dark. Looking at her wrist, she didn't see her bracelet. That alone scared her. She hardly took it off, having latched onto it as a safety feature. Looking at her bare wrist, she looked at her hands as well._

_They were the wrong size. Looking down, she saw how much of her pants were bunched up at her feet. She couldn't even see her feet. Sitting down, since there was ground even if it didn't have any features, she rolled her pants legs up. Staring at her legs, she didn't see the amount of scars that should be there._

_The absent scars convinced her that somehow she had reverted to a younger version of herself. Looking at the scars she did have, a few of them more cuts then scars, she figured she was roughly nine or ten. Sighing, she stood up, rolling up her shirt sleeves in order to have her hands free incase she should need them._

_Loud banging began to surround her. Karise had already figured this to be a dream, but for the life of her she couldn't remember half of her strategies on how to escape them. The banging steadily became yelling. Karise clapped her hands over her ears, trying to block the sounds out._

_It wasn't just one person yelling, but several. While she couldn't understand the exact words, she recognized the tone and the voice. Flinching, Karise stumbled to her feet and began to run._

_It didn't help, since the sounds were coming from all around her. They began to make sense, as they began naming her fears. Namely, that she'd be taken away from the one place in the world that she felt safe at. That she was worthless, useless, and would be better off dead. That she was a failure and would never amount to anything in the world._

_Karise reached an end to the ground, the edge of a cliff looming ahead of her. She skidded to a stop. Why was she running? She wasn't ten anymore. She was fourteen, almost as tall as Conner. She was the green Dino-Thunder Ranger! She could face her fears._

_As if the nightmare was reading her mind, which, she knew, it was since this was all in her head, the other rangers appeared. This time it was them saying all of her doubts and fears to her. Saying that she didn't belong on the team, that she was a hazard and a danger to everyone and it would have been better if she had never come to Reefside in the first place._

_Karise growled. Conner would never say things like this! Thinking hard, she actually felt herself grow back to her normal size. With that came flooding back what she needed to know. She visualized Conner (the stuffed lion) into form. Only instead of a well loved stuffed animal, a large lion formed in front of her and roared loud enough to drown out everything else. Almost. Thinking quickly, she felt for her connection to the Raptor Riders and summoned them to her aid, Rap appearing and joining her own screeching to Conner's roar._

_The darkness of her surroundings fractured and collapsed, Karise's dream protectors fading from sight as well…_

Karise jolted out of bed, slamming into Conner. Conner leapt back.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, taking in the white knuckled grip she had on the stuffed lion.

"Yea, what are you doing up here?" She breathed a sigh of relief as her room came into focus.

"A nightmare," Conner admitted. "I just had a feeling that I needed to check up on you."

"I just had one as well," Karise said softly. It was odd, them both having a nightmare on the same night and roughly around the same time. It wasn't normal. She said as much to Conner.

"Do you think it has something to do with Mesogog's next plan?" Conner asked her. "Do you think the others are effect?"

Karise nodded. "I'll call Ethan and Trent. You call Kira and Dr. O."

Conner nodded. Hopefully the others wouldn't be angry at them for waking them up.

Ethan and Trent were both yanked out of their nightmares by Karise's call. Both boys agreed to meet the cousins at Dr. O's.

Dr. O had been woken up by Kimberly, so both were awake when Conner called them. Dr. O agreed for them to come to the command center.

Kira was also already awake and was relieved when Conner called over their communicators to check on her. She shook her nightmare from her mind, agreeing to join them all at Dr. O's.

Upon their arrival, Tommy took in the faces of his students and teammates. Trent kept glancing at them as if they were going to attack him at any moment. Ethan sat away from the computer consoles. Kira and Karise both sat beside Conner, who was avoiding looking at the sink that Tommy had over in the area that was his inside gym.

"So how is it possibly for all of us to have nightmares on the same night at the same time?" Trent asked, relaxing enough to sit beside Ethan. He had wanted to sit beside Kira, but he figured it was time he gave up on her seeing him the same way she saw Conner.

"It's not," Karise spoke, sounding tired. Rap had come over and settled beside her. Karise rested one hand on the raptor's head. "I mean, it is, but not in the sense that we all felt a need to make sure everyone else was alright. Like after a battle and we're regrouping."

"What were the nightmares about?" Kim asked them, already knowing Tommy's.

The teens looked at each other. Karise fidgeted. She did not want to tell them, since that would be revealing more about herself then she was comfortable doing. Trent looked much the same.

Finally Conner sighed. "I was drowning." He admitted slowly. "It wasn't until I realized that the water didn't feel right that I realized it was a dream and I woke up." Karise had wondered why there was a bruise on his arm.

"Why would you dream about drowning?" Tommy asked, trying to figure that one out.

Conner actually blushed. "I can't swim." Kira's hand actually tightened around his. She and Ethan knew he couldn't swim already from having to save Dr. O from Mesogog's Island.

"Mesogog was killing everyone in my dream," Kira didn't look at Conner. The one death that had remained in her mind was Conner's. The others were already fading into blurs, but losing Conner had stuck with her.

"Zeltrax sent rapid computer viruses after me," Ethan told them, looking sheepish. "I couldn't fight them or destroy them."

Trent looked away from them all. How could he share his when it would betray his father? It wasn't Anton Mercer's fault for what Mesogog did. So he made his up. The others believed him that his nightmare was of his parents' accident; only instead of his parents it was the other rangers and Haley instead.

Karise swallowed and didn't look at any of them as she explained what her nightmare had been about. She stared fixedly at the ground, not having the courage to look up once she was finished.

Trent couldn't look at her, and he was glad she had not looked up. Karise telling them the truth only made his lie seem even worse. He wanted to tell them, but he also didn't want to betray his father.

Conner was angry. How could Karise doubt him? How did someone get to the point where they didn't even have faith in those they knew would never hurt them? Never abandon them? It wasn't right, and he didn't know how to fix it. Conner wasn't sure if he could.

Kira could feel Conner's anger, and his hurt. She had seen the way Karise adored him and would do anything for Conner. She was worried more that Karise would run away instead of letting them help her.

Ethan was still trying to absorb what Karise was telling them. His parents had never hit him, ignored him at times, yes, but they'd never harmed him. He was trying to put into place that a parent could actually do that to a child.

Tommy had never encountered this problem before with any of the other rangers he'd served with. He was at a loss, mainly because he didn't know what to do.

Kim frowned, her fears confirmed by Karise's nightmare. Looking around at the silent group, she could, in a way, understand what was going thru their minds. As it was, she was the first to actually respond.

"None of us here are going to abandon you Karise," She said, her tone daring anyone to prove her wrong. "You're an excellent addition to the team, you know what you're doing in battle, and you care for everyone in this room."

"Kim's right," Tommy added, grateful that she was here. "The green dino-gem wouldn't have chosen you if there wasn't something already there. The gems give us our powers, but they don't make us rangers. Rangers stick together, no matter what."

"Once a ranger, always a ranger, right Dr. O?" Kira asked, moving around Conner and hugging the taller girl. She whispered something only Karise heard and the green clad girl grinned as she returned Kira's hug.

"Exactly," Tommy agreed. He glanced at the clock. It was getting late, too late to actually send them back home to go to bed. They wouldn't have time to get any restful sleep before they had to get up and get ready for their last day of class before break started. "Rangers never leave their own behind." He looked at Kimberly.

"And they always go back for those that do," she added, knowing what Tommy was getting at.

"Thank you," Karise said, watery smile on her face as she broke away from Kira and embraced Kimberly.

Conner grabbed her up in his own hug once she had released Kim. "You're never getting rid of me cuz," he told her, "so don't even try."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Karise returned his hug.

"I think we should head home now," Ethan suggested, "before our parents decide to see if we're still in our beds or not."

"We might as well just head to school," Trent added, looking pointedly at the clock.

"Oh!" Karise grinned as what Trent said reminded her of something. "Kira, come on, you can change at our house. I have the list finished."

Kira looked confused for a second before her face cleared. "You did? Excellent!" The two girls headed out, talking softly between them.

The boys stared after them, wondering what they had missed. Conner shook himself and hurried after them. After all, they had taken his car here. Trent had picked Kira up originally, but Conner had absolutely no problem with Kira coming back to his house.

"Do you have any idea what they were talking about?" Tommy asked the two remaining teens.

"No way Dr. O," Ethan assured their teacher. "I'm not exactly sure I want to know, not when both of the girls are involved." He shuddered, the water fight still clear in his memory.

"We'll see you later in class Dr. O," Trent pulled Ethan out of the Command Center. Whatever the girls had planned, he didn't want to miss it.

Kim watched them leave before turning to Tommy. "Should we be worried?"

"I don't think so…" Tommy trailed off. He remembered how he had met the first three rangers, and he didn't think any of them would risk being in trouble over break.

Kim nodded. "Then I'll still meet you for lunch at the school then," she grinned. Karise didn't like getting into trouble, but she also enjoyed playing the random prank. "Whatever they have planned, I don't want to miss it."

Tommy shrugged, slinging his arm around Kim. "You want to fill me in Beautiful?"

"Maybe Handsome," she grinned at him and pulled him up the stairs. They still had a few hours left before he absolutely had to get ready for the day. Kim planned on making him forget the nightmare permanently.

* * *

Later on that day, during lunch, the teen rangers were gathered around what had become their normal table. Karise and Kira still hadn't revealed what had them whispering earlier that morning. All of them were feeling the effects of the lack of sleep.

"Honestly, I think Randall has it out for us." Kira complained, pointing to where their angry principal was stalking towards them.

"Guys, do you have anything to do with her looking like an angry pit bull?" Trent asked, trying very hard not to shrink down in his seat and hide behind Ethan.

"Not yet," Karise replied, looking at Kira. "Ethan, I'd put away your laptop if I were you."

Not asking questions, Ethan did as Karise requested. They all watched as Randall stalked closer. They weren't even sure if she was headed towards them or not.

"Maybe we had better leave," Kira suggested. They didn't even hesitate in getting up, but Randall stopped them before they got very far.

"Freeze," they all froze and turned toward the irate (more than usual) woman. "What is the meaning of this?" She slammed a piece of paper down on the table.

The rangers looked at it. Gingerly, Conner edged it away from the woman so that they could get a closer look at it.

"Those were on all of the teacher's doors this morning," Karise told them. "Remember Conner, Mr. Kane put his up and invited us to comment on the stupidity of the wording during first period."

"Yea," he agreed, "we didn't have anything to do with this Ms. Randall." For a moment he half expected Elsa to pop out and lay into them with her sword. That was how angry Randall looked at the moment.

"My office is stuffed full of this ludicrous list!" Randall hissed at them. "Are you going to deny having anything to do with that as well?"

The rangers looked at each other again.

"We swear Ms. Randall," Ethan tried to placate the woman, "we had nothing to do with this."

Randall glared at them and opened her mouth to yell at them some more, as well as deliver them all detentions until the end of the year when a voice spoke up from behind her.

"Excuse me," everyone turned to look at the slim girl who had spoken, "but would you be Principal Randall?"

"Yes, what do you want?" Randall eyed the girl. She had not seen this student around the school before, meaning that she was new.

"I was told you could point me in the right direction to," she looked down at the piece of paper in her hands, "a Dr. Oliver's office?" Karise was staring at the girl, trying to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "I need to speak to him."

Nope she wasn't imagining things. Though why Nerina was here she didn't know, it was most definitely her friend. The dark hair and shimmering topaz eyes didn't belong to anyone else.

"We can take her there Ms. Randall," Karise immediately offered. "That way you can go back to finding who was idiotic enough to fill your office with copies of that list."

Before Randall could say anything, Karise had nabbed the new girl and all of them rushed off. Karise didn't stop until she was certain they were out of Randall's sight.

"What are you doing here?" Karise hugged the girl tightly. The others found it amusing, since Karise was a good foot and a half taller than the girl she was hugging, which meant that she had actually picked the girl up to do so.

"It's good to see you as well Karise," Nerina returned the hug full heartedly, and then punched Karise hard. "Never go off and disappear like that again! I was worried about you."

"Sorry," Karise rubbed her arm where the punch had landed, "I wasn't thinking to clearly at the time." She turned to face the rest of the rangers. "Guys, this is my absolute best friend next to Conner, Nerina Pyre. Nerina, this is my cousin Conner and our friends Kira, Ethan, and Trent."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Nerina bowed, eyes dancing as she looked at Trent. He was a handsome one, with dark secrets.

"What do you need to see Dr. O for?" Conner asked, curious.

Nerina fidgeted. She wasn't supposed to speak to anyone but the one Sensei had sent her to see. Karise caught it and her eyes widened.

"Did Sensei Cree send you?"

Nerina nodded, eyes flashing to the others. Karise knew that outsiders weren't allowed to know about the Ninja Academies! Her glare said as much.

Karise shrugged it off. "You already know our secret, and once you see Dr. O you'll know he'll tell us whatever it is once you tell him. Besides, Ms. Kim is having lunch with him and he won't send her away simply because you need to speak with him."

"But…" Nerina didn't know what to say. She did know, but then how could she not?

"Come on," Karise linked arms with the shorter girl, "let's go see Dr. O. Relax, you worry too much for a genius."

"You worry too little for one!" Nerina retorted.

"What, have you concurred the academy like you did high school?" Karise asked with a grin.

Nerina pouted. "In a way, yes. That's why Sensei sent me on this mission and not someone else. He said it would give the other students a chance to catch up and to give me a break from being bored out of my mind."

"You're parents let you come to Reefside by yourself?" Kira asked.

"My parents have pretty much forgotten I exist," Nerina replied. "I've succeeded and I don't need them anymore, according to them. Thus their energies are better spent with my siblings."

Karise sighed. "Forgive her; she's touchy when it comes to her parents."

"Right, Sensei still wants to know why you didn't come to the Academy after your school expelled you." Nerina changed the topic. Karise grimaced.

"I already told you, I'm not meant for that life." She grinned at her friends, "I am meant for the one I have here."

"If you parents don't rip you away." She grinned. "I could discourage them for you, if you wanted."

"No," Karise said firmly, knowing (hoping) that her friend was joking. "You and I both know that would only get you into trouble. That and you don't mean it."

"You're right," Nerina shrugged, "still, it's a fun thought to entertain."

Karise rolled her eyes. "Here we are." She knocked hard on the door.

Conner opened it once Tommy called for them to enter. Tommy and Kim were sitting at his desk, eating the lunch Kim had brought with her. Both adults looked over the new girl, Kim grinning.

"Still wearing fire colors I see Nerina," Kim commented, getting up and hugging the girl. Kim was slightly taller, but not by much.

"Of course," Nerina replied. "I'll stop wearing fire when Karise stops wearing green." The girl in question snorted at the suggested.

"Never gonna happen and you know it," she muttered. Karise introduced Nerina to Tommy, who nodded and shook the girl's hand.

"May I ask what you need to speak to me about?" Tommy gauged the girl to be around the age of the rangers.

Nerina looked over everyone in the room. "Is it safe to talk here? What I've been sent to speak to you about is not meant for everyone's ears."

"What she means is it's something to do with our extracurricular activities." Karise translated, grinning at the look Nerina sent her.

"You know," Conner muttered, "this conversation would work a lot better if you two would just stop dodging around the topic."

"This is normal for them," Kim told them, watching the staring contest between the glaring Nerina and the smiling Karise. "You get used to it." She turned to the girls. "No fighting until you're both off school grounds."

"Yes Ms. Kim," replied both girls, dropping their staring contest in order to return their attention to the rest of the group.

"Look, the bell is about to ring," Tommy told them. "Why don't we meet up once school is over, at practice?"

"Alright," Nerina agreed, trying very hard to retain her professional state. "Where is practice held?"

"We'll take you," Karise told her. "Do you want to hang out here with me the rest of the day? We have enough time to get you an actual student pass if we hurry."

Nerina relaxed, "sure, but only if you swear we stay away from that principal of yours. There's something about her I honestly don't like."

"Join the crowd," Conner told her, "no one here really likes her either."

Tommy watched as the teens left, splitting up to go to their individual classes. Kim shook her head. "This afternoon is going to be interesting." She paused. "Speaking on Randall, I haven't seen her around today, have you?" Kim usually saw the woman around when she visited Tommy during lunch, mainly because the woman always glared at her.

Trent stuck his head back inside the classroom, "Dr. O, just so you know, Randall's on the war path. She's trying to find who stuffed her office full of those list things that were posted on the doors this morning." He left, jogging to his next class before the final bell rang.

Tommy looked at Kim, "do you think…?"

Kim shook her head. "No, Karise is much more inventive then that." She kissed him goodbye and left.

Tommy watched her leave, dodging past the students that were beginning to come in from lunch. Honestly, he couldn't be happier then he was at the moment, Mesogog and his goons be damned.

* * *

Everyone gathered in the Command Center once they were released from school. Conner followed all three girls into the room, wondering how he had been designated the guy lucky enough to have all three of them in his car. Ethan and Trent were already there, as was Hayley. Kim came downstairs, followed shortly by Tommy.

"So what is it that you need to speak with me about?" He asked.

Nerina relaxed now that they were in a secure place. "Do you know anything about the Ninja schools? I know Karise knows, and Conner, and Eric, but do any of you?"

Trent shrugged, "Just that the team before ours were Ninja Rangers and had something to do with a school like that."

Nerina nodded. "I attend the Fire Ninja Academy, I've done so for the last two years since I graduated from high school."

"Whoa, how old are you?" Conner asked.

"Eighteen," Nerina replied. "Karise and I met when we were little and became fast friends. Sensei Cree offered her a place at the academy, but she refused it. Now I can understand why."

Karise shrugged. "We already have one ninja in the family. Besides, I prefer soccer to harnessing an element."

Nerina shook her head, grin firmly in place. "No, you were destined to be something more. I'd say being the green Dino-Thunder Ranger counts as that." She turned to each of them and named off their colors. "Part of my power is that I can see inside a person's soul. The best way to describe it is that each of you have an extra shadow that is your ranger self hovering around you."

"It's very hard to keep a secret from Nerina," Karise told them. "I don't bother to do so anymore, not really."

"So you know that we're rangers," Tommy summed up. "What else is there?"

"My Sensei has been sensing a growing level of evil in the state of California. Namely around Blue Bay Harbor and Reefside. When Lothor was attacking the Ninja schools, he never found ours." Her grin was feral. "It was probably because the Fire Academy is very tiny compared to the Thunder and Air Academies. Not to mention that there was never a Ninja Morpher created for the Fire element, so we weren't a threat in that account. Sensei placed us under lockdown until Lothor was gone. I think he figured that if the rangers failed, we'd step up and get rid of Lothor, or try to at least." She shrugged. "If he'd asked my opinion, I wouldn't have worried. The rangers don't fail in the end, they never have."

Tommy and Kim looked at each other and nodded. It was true, in the end the rangers always won. It was always a tough battle to get there though and at times it did seem that they would fail and only the thought of what would happen if they did kept them going on till the end.

"So what about this 'growing level of evil' your sensei sent you to warn us about?" Tommy asked.

"Sensei Cree is concerned that the Abyss of Evil is preparing to reopen. He wants it monitored and the current rangers prepared to handle anything that may happen. He was also worried the current bad guy would take advantage of this and draw upon the evil energies of the Abyss." Nerina explained.

"Why come to me? For all you knew, I had nothing to do with the current rangers." Tommy didn't like someone knowing of them outside of the uniform. He needed to find out how Nerina's teacher had discovered it.

"Sensei Cree didn't say," Nerina answered truthfully. "If he'd been wrong, I'd gone straight to find Karise. I know her fighting style and it matches the green ranger's."

"Don't look at me like that," Karise told Conner. "How do you think I knew you were the red ranger? I recognized some of the moves you use in battle from the news recordings. When you morphed in front of me just confirmed my suspicions."

"Yea, well, you're my cousin." Conner defended. Then he frowned. "That would mean Eric probably knows as well." He groaned. He could just imagine the grief he was going to get from his brother. After all, Eric had confided in him about the true nature of his school.

"Besides that," Tommy brought them back to the subject at hand, "why not simply go to Blue Bay Harbor and warn the Ninjas there?"

"Sensei wouldn't answer that question either." Nerina told them. "I think he's ashamed that he hid when the others needed him. Not to mention that he never offered help at all, but kept us all hidden away. He forbade us from leaving the city on threat of expulsion and the removal of our Ninja powers." Nerina shivered at the thought of that happening.

Karise enveloped her friend into a hug. Another reason why she had refused Sensei Cree's offer, she didn't like the man. To threaten to remove something that was very much a part of a person was a dirty tactic. To actually do so was even worse. She did not have the inner fire Nerina had to be a fire Ninja, nor the cool, level-headedness and fierce anger Eric had to be an Air Ninja. She was simply too much like Conner, which suited her just fine. With a bit of a shock, she realized that the people gathered around her now and the two (that she could think of) missing were the ones who accepted her as simply Karise, nothing more and nothing less. That realization healed something inside of her and she smiled softly.

"Okay, so what do we do about this 'level of evil' thing?" She asked, getting serious for the moment.

"Monitor it for the moment," Hayley commented, already at the console and running the scans. Nerina was correct, there was a growing level of evil across the map of California.

"Maybe you should contact the Ninja Rangers," Kim looked over Hayley's shoulder. "It is centered in their city."

"I've had contact with Cam Watanabe, but nothing recent." Hayley told them.

"I think you'd better dig that number out," Tommy stood beside Kim as he looked at the screen. This wasn't good. Not good at all.


	11. Chapter 11

Now What?

Chapter Eleven

I DO NOT OWN _POWER RANGERS_! I ALSO DON'T OWN _JURRASIC PARK_! I do own Karise, Nerina, most of the plot, and Rap.

* * *

It had been three days since Nerina had arrived in Reefside. Sam, while wary of having two teenage girls in his house, agreed to let Karise's friend stay for as long as she needed. What had really won him over was the fact that Karise was smiling again. The fear that had been over shadowing her since he had first returned home was lessoned. Also, it felt nice to have more than just him and Conner rattling around the house.

"So what do you three have planned for today?" He asked as Karise and Nerina came into the kitchen. Both girls were still in their pajamas.

"Well, Dr. O still wants us to meet for karate club," Karise told him. "After that, I think all of us are going first to Hayley's and then possibly on a picnic."

"Do you and Conner want to do anything particular this week?" Sam asked. He had to get to work soon, but he could always find time off to take them somewhere.

"Well," Karise glanced at Nerina, who shrugged and nodded, "The three of us were thinking of going to visit Eric in Blue Bay Harbor. You know, Nerina wants to check out his school."

Sam nodded, understanding what his niece meant. "If you do go, make sure I know, alright?"

"Of course," Karise told him.

With that done, Sam left for work. Conner came up shortly after his dad had left. He grinned upon seeing Karise already in the kitchen making breakfast. This morning it was pancakes with fresh fruit.

"So what do you guys want to do today?" Conner asked them.

"Practice with Dr. O first, remember?" Karise reminded him. Conner nodded. "Afterwards, I thought that we'd hang out at Hayley's or get the group together and go on a picnic. There's always soccer and we can go see Aunt Melody and Eric."

Conner nodded. It had been awhile since he'd seen his mother, not to mention his twin. She'd most likely enjoy seeing Karise again. Also, it would give them a chance to look around the city to see if anything strange was happening.

"Sounds like a plan," he finished his food at normal speed. His control was either getting better, or his power had finished surging. Since a part of him felt faster and simply more powerful, he was going to go with his control growing.

"Excellent," Nerina stood up. "Is it alright if I shower first?"

"Go ahead," Karise grinned. "If you want to impress Trent, wear something white. Ms. Kim says that's the best way to a ranger boy's heart."

Nerina blushed crimson. "Don't make me burn your toast!"

"Scary firestarter, but I'd still eat it." Karise grinned as Nerina ran out of the kitchen to go shower. Conner watched her in shock.

"She likes Trent?"

"Trent likes her to," Karise replied, "if the look on his face these past few days is anything to go by." She sighed. "Not that I'd expect you to notice, since you don't notice Kira looking at you. If you did, I'd have stopped ragging on you by now."

Conner stared at her. "Kira looks at me?"

Karise shook her head at him. "You really are dense sometimes. YES! Kira looks at you, much like Ms. Kim looks at Dr. O and Nerina has been looking at Trent! Geeze, I'm glad I'm gay." She left the kitchen, shouting back that Conner got to clean up.

Grumbling, Conner did so. He got the last shower, meaning that it was not as hot as he would have liked it to be but at least it wasn't cold. Both the girls were ready before him.

Karise was dressed in dark green sweatpants, black flip-flops on her feet. Her shirt was a bit lighter, but not by much. Nerina was dressed in white shorts, a bright orange t-shirt, and had a white hair-tie holding back her black tresses. The white was very noticeable against her hair color. Orange flip-flops adorned her feet.

Conner shook his head. He was dressed like he normally would for practice: red t-shirt, gym shorts, socks, wristbands, and his regular sneakers. Nerina had obviously taken Karise's advice about wearing Trent's color. Karise simply wore green and black, just as she more or less always had.

"Ready to go?" He decided not to comment on their clothing. Karise tended to practice in bare feet.

"Yep, can I drive?" Karise asked.

"No, that was a onetime only deal," Conner replied. "I shouldn't have let you do it the first time. You don't even technically have your permit yet."

Karise shrugged. "Alright, can I drive it after I have my license?"

"Maybe, let me think about it," Conner faked thinking, "no."

Karise rolled her eyes. "I have a year to wear you down Conner; I will get to drive your car!"

"Keep dreaming!" Conner told her.

Nerina smiled as the two cousins bantered back and forth. She hoped Karise was right about the color thing. She didn't know how to flirt. She'd spent most of her time being the youngest person as well as the smartest. Not exactly conductive to forming relationships. Then with Ninja training, she couldn't exactly explain about that and she was still better when it came to the academic portions of the training. Her control and ability seemed to scare most of the students, and made others jealous, especially the older ones. Again, not conductive to forming relationships.

The banter continued until they reached Tommy's. Kira had ridden up with Trent and Ethan, figuring that three people to a car would be enough.

Trent looked up when the other three teens exited Conner's car. He swallowed when he spotted Nerina wearing his color. She looked very, very good at the moment. An image was already forming in his head and his fingers itched to draw it. Kira noticed this and looked between the two. She grinned to herself. It looked as if she wouldn't have to break Trent's heart after all, from the way he was looking at the Fire Ninja.

"Hey Kira," Karise came to stand beside her, "what do you think? White and orange don't clash too badly."

"Do you have something to do with this?" Kira turned to her.

Karise shrugged. "I remember from watching Dr. O, before I knew him as Dr. O, coming to the gym where Ms. Kim taught. He always got this look whenever Ms. Kim would wear something white or red along with her normal pink. I know you haven't noticed, but she never used to wear black, but now she usually finds some way to have black on her person. I don't especially understand it, but male rangers have this thing when it comes to the girls they like wearing their color, or colors in Dr. O's case."

Kira nodded. Did she really want Conner to know she was interested in him? Did she even own anything red to begin with?

Karise shook her head. "If you guys don't get your acts together, I swear I'll have Ethan help me find a couple of closets to lock you guys in."

"You wouldn't," Kira looked at her.

"She would," Kim had heard them talking. "She's done it to several people. It took us hours to find Jason."

Karise grinned at the memory. "I honestly didn't think that idea would work, but it got him to leave you alone. And I've never locked you and Dr. O into a closet together, so give me some credit."

Kim shook her head. "Come on, Tommy's already decided who gets to spar with who today. Kira, you're with me."

Karise looked around. Conner was sparing against Tommy, Trent against Nerina, and Kim against Kira. That left Ethan to spare with her. She grinned at him and the computer whiz swallowed. This was not going to be fun.

Luckily enough for Ethan, Tommy had decided to keep switching partners among the pairings so that no one got to comfortable sparing with just one person. Now that they had even numbers, it was much easier.

He finally called a halt as the teens began to slow. They all collapsed on the ground, Nerina in direct sunlight on the warm earth. Trent lay beside her after fetching his sketch pad. Ethan picked a spot near the others that was completely in the shade. Conner and Kira hand simply sat down near each other and weren't saying anything. Karise was spread eagle on the ground, half in the sunlight half in the shade.

"You know, something seems oddly familiar about this seen." Kim spoke softly, watching the other rangers.

Tommy nodded. "Yea, only usually we were in the youth center and sitting in chairs." He glanced at Kim. "I know Karise has mentioned meeting Jason, but what do you think of seeing if some of the others wouldn't mind coming up to meet the new team?"

Kim grinned. "I think they'd enjoy that, both parties. Besides, we need to decide when to let Jason know who won the bet."

Tommy laughed at that. "I still can't believe you stole that book and made copies of it. Who did win, by the way?"

"Andros," Kim replied. "Jason is so not going to enjoy that bit of information. Ashley's going to want to know what possessed her husband to bet in the first place."

"I think all of the red rangers during the Serpentera mission placed bets except for those that haven't spent any real amount of time around us or our friends." Tommy explained. "I know there's another one running on Eric and Taylor, but Wes is in charge of that one."

Their communicators suddenly went off, forcing all of the rangers to their feet. Hayley told them all to come to the command center. Not questioning it, they all went to Tommy's basement. Hayley was watching the screen.

"You guys are not going to like this." She explained what had been happening with the energy readings.

"Didn't you guys already do this once?" Karise asked, "Evil rangers, not good."

"I have to help you guys stop them," Nerina spoke up. "If Lothor has escaped and is behind this, then I have to correct the mistake made the first time."

"Okay," Karise made her friend face her, "first of all, Fire is strong against Air, but not Earth and Water. You'd be crushed before you managed to do anything. As they're rangers for the moment, let us deal with them for now. You can come in later, when they aren't morphed, okay?" Nerina nodded, Karise having a point.

"Trent, you and Karise stay here." Tommy ordered. "Conner, Kira, Ethan, you guys go."

"Are you sure splitting up the team is the wisest thing to do Dr. O?" Ethan asked.

"Yes, this is just the kind of thing Mesogog would take advantage of." Tommy replied.

The younger rangers nodded. The three matching colors with the rangers on screen stepped back to morph before running out to meet the Ninja Storm Rangers.

Those left in the Command Center watched as their teammates were pretty much used as punching bags for the Ninja rangers. Knowing they couldn't fight them now, the three Dino rangers returned to the base.

"We got trashed out there," Conner said dejectedly. "How are we supposed to fight them when they toss us around like we're nothing?"

Rex growled out his displeasure. Karise laughed.

"Rex says that he's the only one allowed to toss you around Conner. He offered to teach the Air ranger that." Karise's went blank for a few seconds before she burst out laughing again. "Sorry guys, but this is a human fight, maybe you guys can help later."

Nerina shook her head. "If we ever end up on an island with live raptors on it Karise, I hope they like you."

"Why?"

"Because then you can tell them not to eat the rest of us!"

Everyone laughed at that. Tommy turned to the rangers.

"They're gone for now, so go and relax. Remember, they were good once. We just need to find a way to end whatever is causing them to be evil now." Tommy looked over all of them. The teens nodded.

"Alright Dr. O," Conner agreed.

"Go, I'll keep watch here." Tommy sent them off. Hayley followed the teens. After all, where else would they go but her café?

* * *

The Cyber Café was weirdly almost empty. The rangers settled at their usual table, or rather tables since they had dragged two tables together so that there was room for all of them.

Watching them, Hayley had to hide her grin from the seating arrangements. Kira was sitting between Ethan and Conner, with Karise beside Conner and Trent. Nerina took the last chair between Ethan and Trent. Trent got up to get everyone something to drink, Hayley already having the tray prepared.

"Thanks Hayley," Trent picked up the tray, "do you need me to work?"

Hayley shook her head. "Not at the moment, you guys are basically the only ones here." There were only a few other teens in the café, playing games or using the computers. It seemed that having rangers tearing up the city tended to keep people at home.

Trent nodded and returned to his friends. He didn't even bother passing out the drinks, everyone pretty much took their own or passed the drink to who it belonged to. Trent handed Nerina her orange smoothie before taking his own vanilla shake in hand.

"Doesn't it seem odd to you guys that our favorite drinks here happen to match our individual colors?" Nerina asked them, looking around the table. The others shrugged.

"It's a PR thing I guess," Karise commented. "I just like the kiwi smoothies." She took a drink to prove it, the others laughing when she pulled the cub away to reveal a green mustache along her upper lip. Karise wiped it away with a grin.

"Air hockey anyone?" Ethan asked.

"Sure, think you'll beat me this time?" Karise stood up. She shot a grin at Ethan. This left the two couples alone at the table.

"I can always try," Ethan responded back. He had a feeling that if Karise had been straight, or even just bi, they would have given going out a try. However, he was content just having her as a friend. After all, his last attempt at dating hadn't ended so well. Cassidy was still ignoring him.

"How many games do you think it'll take him to learn that no one has beaten Karise at air hockey in years?" Nerina asked them, since they knew Ethan better than she did.

"Who knows?" Conner shrugged. "Eric still hasn't given up yet either."

"Uh oh," Nerina looked out the main window of the café. "Trouble heading this way." She got away from the table.

Ethan went to stand beside Kira and Conner, a sinking feeling in his gut on what was about to happen. Trent and Karise stood in front of Nerina, not knowing how the currently evil Ninja rangers would take to there being another ninja in the vicinity.

The three main rangers were blown back as the three Ninja rangers entered and Shane tossed the table towards them using his power of Air. Instantly, the other three were there helping their friends and teammates up.

"Scared to face us alone rangers?" Tori sneered at them.

"No, we'll fight you anywhere you want to," Conner retorted, "just not here." He was not going to let anything worse happen to Hayley's. Not when the woman had done so much for them. "Alone," Conner didn't trust them not to show up with a bunch of drones.

"Why should we do that?" Tori sneered again.

"It's called honor," Kira had locked eyes with Dustin in a glaring contest, "I thought you ninjas knew all about that."

"Fine," Shane hissed out. "Meet under the Hubble Bridge in an hour." They ninja streaked out of the café.

"Okay, ninja streaking? Kinda cool," Conner commented. Staring after them, he hoped he hadn't just sentenced them to failure.

Kira rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't we be going? They only gave us an hour."

"We'll tell Dr. O," Karise assured them. "Are you guys sure about this?"

"Yea," Conner nodded. "We'll be fine. Rangers never say die, right?"

"Right," they all agreed.

They separated again, three to return to Dr. O's and the other to meet up with the evil rangers.

* * *

Having come to an agreement on the level of strengths to use and when to use them, 'not using powers' went out the window upon the arrival of the evil rangers. Once again, Shane blasted them down with his control over air.

"Ready?" Conner looked to his two teammates. They nodded as the ninjas charged them.

They didn't fare well, Conner learning the hard way that speeding up in midair was possible. The Ninja rangers lined up and prepared to morph. The younger rangers scrambled to their feet and did the same.

"Wait!"

All six of them turned to look at the three newcomers. Kira blinked, recognizing one of the men as the guy who had seemed so familiar when he had come into Hayley's the other day. Nerina and Karise had convinced her to let it go, though Karise had agreed that he'd seemed familiar.

In the Command Center, Karise looked at Dr. O, "Does this mean we get to go help them now?"

Tommy watched the screen and nodded, but Kim stopped them. They watched on the screen as the three newcomers tricked the other three into switching out the power disks on their morphers. Tommy lifted his bracelet.

"Conner, what's going on?" Conner told him. Tommy nodded. "Alright, bring them here."

"Conner," Karise added in, connected with her cousin over her own bracelet, "Keep them away from the Raptors. They are not happy at the moment."

The rangers looked at one another, confused.

"Dudes," Dustin looked at them, "you have raptors?"

"In a way," Kira replied. "Come on, Dr. O said to bring you guys to our base."

They followed, Sensei joining them. The three Wind Ninjas were glad to see him. Once at the base, everyone was introduced to each other.

"Hey, where's Karise?" Conner didn't see his cousin anywhere.

"Dealing with the Raptor Riders," Kim told him. "From what I gathered, they are not happy with our guests for tossing you three around."

"No," the Ninjas looked up as a girl who looked like Conner came into view only dressed in green verses red. "More like they want revenge for Shane, Tori, and Dustin harming their humans." She rolled her eyes. "Would you guys care to come help me over here? They want to make sure you three are actually alright." She disappeared again.

"Go help her," Tommy told them. "Everything's quiet for the moment."

Conner didn't need any more prompting. Nerina laughed quietly as the three rangers followed the direction Karise had gone in.

"You'd think they wouldn't be so shocked by now when strange things happen," she commented, deciding Trent made the perfect resting place. She didn't see his blush, but the others did.

"I still want to see these raptor things," Dustin told them. "They can't be that scary, right?"

"You'd be surprised," Trent told him. "Despite that three of them are Conner's, Kira's, and Ethan's, they usually only obey Karise. Until she found a green Raptor Rider egg, we didn't even use them because we couldn't control them."

"They like me," Nerina added on to Trent's explanation, "then again, that might be Karise's influence."

"Rex, No! Get back here!"

The red Raptor Rider appeared in front of them and charged Shane. Everyone leapt out of the way. Shane backed up and froze, caught in the raptor's glare. He'd seen _Jurassic Park_ far too many times to make any sudden moves. When he didn't do anything, Rex turned around and stalked away. Shane sank to the floor. Okay, so that was frightening. He'd rather have to go one-on-one with Lothor then do that again.

The four missing rangers reappeared, the other three raptors behind them. Rex lay down beside Conner. Karise relaxed as the others followed suit. Her face went blank for a few moments.

"They thought it was funny," she said in semi-disbelief. She looked at them all. "Hi, I'm Karise. Sorry about that." She went and helped Shane to his feet.

"Its fine, I thought he was actually going to attack me for a moment there." Shane decided he was staying far away from the Riders.

"Rex wouldn't have," Karise told him. "Petra might have, but Rex was honestly just threatening you." The yellow raptor eyed Shane as if she were actually thinking about it, but then returned to ignoring him as if he wouldn't be worth it.

"Dude, they are so cool!" Dustin itched to take a closer look at them. He'd liked dinosaurs as a kid so this was something of a dream come true for him.

"How fast can they go?" Hunter asked, curious.

"We've never timed them," Hayley told them. Before she could say anything else, the alarm went off. "You guys had better go, they're back."

"Stay here," Karise ordered the Riders. "I'll call if we need the help." Then she ran after the others.

The battle wasn't too difficult. After all, the bad guys were used to handling one team of rangers, not two. Twelve rangers were infinitely harder to deal with then six. Those that weren't destroyed ran off to battle another day.

Mesogog, as they later learned, had taken care of Lothor himself. Marah and Kapri had been the ones to rescue Sensei and the Ninja students.

The Ninja rangers left after Blake's last race, with the Dino-Thunder team joining them to watch as well.


	12. Chapter 12

Now What?

Chapter Twelve

I DO NOT OWN PRDT!

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Karise looked over the ledge, eyebrow raised.

Nerina sighed. "Yes, extremely sure. Is Kira here yet?"

"Right behind you," Kira spoke up, approaching her two friends. She wasn't exactly sure how she had gotten dragged along into this little adventure.

"Great," Nerina smiled. All three of them were dressed to go swimming. She and Kira were in actual bathing suits. Karise on the other hand was wearing a pair of swimming trunks that she had extended into pants to completely encase her legs over her bathing suit. "Are you guys ready for this?"

Karise looked at Kira, who looked back at her and shrugged. "I thought Kim was coming as well?"

Kim had finally managed to break the rangers of using 'Ms.' In front of her name. A relief to her, since she'd been trying to do so since she'd arrived.

"I don't see her," Kira looked around. "Do you think Dr. O found out what we were planning?"

"If he had, he'd have stopped all of us." Karise commented. "Nerina, what gave you this idea in the first place?"

Nerina shrugged. "Come off it Karise, it isn't any different then cliff diving back home. I made sure to check out down there and this is the perfect time of day to do this."

"Yes, but back home I wasn't able to jump twenty feet into the air before coming back down to earth." Karise shot back.

"Kim's here," Kira said to break up their argument. It wasn't really an argument, but Karise and Nerina tended to have these spats all the time. It became annoying after awhile.

"Hey girls," Kim was dressed in her bathing suit as well. "Sorry it took so long." She looked around. "Where are the guys?" She had told Tommy to meet them at the beach.

"Ethan and Trent are most likely at the beach by now," Nerina answered. "Where's Conner Karise?"

Karise shrugged, "Probably trying to figure out how to avoid the water," she grinned, "however, he's also in charge of setting up our spot on the beach."

"Come on," Kira didn't want to dwell on the fact that Conner was going to be seeing her in her bathing suit today. "Are we going to do this or not?"

"We're doing this," Nerina told them. "Who's first?"

Karise blazed past them and leapt off the cliff with a battle cry. Shrugging, Kim followed. Nerina dived last, following a screaming Kira. All four of them landed with large splashes, Karise splashing them once they had all surfaced.

"I can't believe we did that," Kira shook her head. The cliff looked a lot higher from the water.

"It was fun though," Karise told her, "do you think the boys heard us?"

"Undoubtedly," Kim told her, looking over to where the males were all watching them. "Come on, before they think something's wrong." She began swimming towards the beach.

"Race ya there!" Nerina called the challenge, speeding after Kim.

Karise and Kira followed, Kira pulling ahead and reaching the beach first. Kim was right behind her. Nerina and Karise raced out of the water and sped past the others. Karise reached Trent and touched him. With a shouted 'tag!', she turned and raced away.

Trent stared after her, not realizing just yet what had happened. He'd just seen all four of them jump off a cliff. His brain was still processing that information. However, Nerina shooting past him with a giggle brought him back to the present and he gave chase.

Tommy and Kim stepped aside to watch the six teenagers play their game.

"Whose idea was it to go cliff diving?" Tommy asked, now knowing why Kim had disappeared.

"Nerina's," she answered, "but Karise dived first." She smiled at him. "Do you want a go?"

He grinned. He hadn't been cliff diving, at least the kind one did for fun, since high school. Leaping off an island that's blowing up didn't count.

"Sure," He took her hand and let her lead him to where they had leapt off before.

Karise stopped running for a moment to watch them leave, grinning despite herself. Now, if she could just get Conner and Kira to that point. Nerina and Trent were doing fine by themselves, a good thing since Kira no longer had to worry about breaking Trent's heart by loving Conner.

Conner tagged her and Karise took off after him again, laughing as she chased him right into Kira, who she tagged.

Finally exhausted, they fell to the sand. All of them, even Conner, were wet. Kira looked at the boy beside her.

"I thought you didn't know how to swim?"

"I don't," Conner replied, "but I can at least float."

"Who wants to go cliff diving?" Nerina asked them, standing up. Trent stood as well. He was going, if just to have an excuse to spend more time with Nerina before she had to go back to her home.

"I'll go," he said, tentively taking her hand. Nerina smiled up at him and settled her hand more firmly into his.

"I'll join you," Karise stood with a grin. "You guys wanna come?"

Ethan decided to try it and Kira dragged Conner with them. Conner protested, but Karise kicked him.

"Kira can jump with you, and I'll go before. That way you'll have two people who'll make sure you reach the beach." She smiled at him, "You have to learn sometime Conner, and this way you can shut Eric up."

Conner groaned. Karise just had to bring that up. He agreed to try.

Once again, Karise sped past them all and leapt off the cliff. Kira, not wanting Conner to have time to reconsider, took off right after Karise had disappeared over the edge. Conner yelped as they went over, he going under as soon as they hit the water. Kira dragged him back to the surface, Karise right beside them.

"Not so bad, right Conner?" Karise grinned, knowing Conner was struggling to remember everything he knew about floating.

"Come on," Kira tugged him, "let's get back to the beach." Conner gladly followed, Kira trying hard not to laugh at his attempts to copy her and Karise's movements thru the water.

The others were already there by the time the three reached the beach. Ethan had helped Kim and Tommy set out the food, since Nerina and Trent had gone off somewhere.

Karise, looking around, shook her head. Like she had thought, they didn't need any further help. She looked up when she heard another car approach the beach. It was odd to have this stretch of beach to just their group when it was so warm out.

"Who's that?" She pointed to the people getting out of the car.

Kim and Tommy looked up, grinning at the sight of the car. Kim turned to the green ranger.

"I thought you would have recognized his car Karise," she told the girl. Karise just looked at her, and then what the older woman meant clicked in her head.

"Why didn't you guys say anything? Conner's going to freak!" Karise grinned, racing towards the man who was slowly making his way towards them.

"Who's Karise hugging?" Conner asked, watching as several more cars arrived and people he felt he should recognize stepped out of them.

"Jason Scott," Tommy told him, watching as Conner's eyes bugged out at the thought of meeting the very first Red Ranger. He looked back towards his friend. "Who all did he bring with him?"

Kim squealed as she raced towards two of the women who had come out of the cars. "Trini! Aisha!"

This time it was Kira's turn to freeze beside Conner. "Why didn't you tell us Dr. O?"

Trent and Nerina arrived back to the group, having heard more people arriving. Ethan went to stand beside them, telling them what he knew about what was going on. Nerina shook her head.

"Karise must be ecstatic. Jason was one of the people who began teaching her martial arts." She shrugged. "It's been awhile since she's seen him."

By now the rangers had gathered together in a small knot, watching as their predecessors approached and greeted their mentor/teammate and his girlfriend. Karise, smiling happily, came to join them.

"Don't look so scared," she told them. "They aren't going to bite."

Tommy introduced his newest team to his friends. Jason grinned.

"So this is the newbie red ranger?" He looked Conner over, "He usually this tense?"

"Toss a soccer ball at him," Karise joked, "then he'll relax." She did just that, Conner reacting just as she knew he would.

Jason nodded, knowing from what Tommy had told him about the newest rangers' interests. "Would you care for a game?"

"Yes!" Karise cheered.

"Only if they aren't on the same team," Ethan spoke up, pointing at the McKnight cousins, "I'm not making that mistake again."

"Girls against guys then?" Nerina grinned, figuring that was the way to do this.

"Sounds fair to me," Jason agreed. He watched as the two cousins looked at each other and shrugged.

"That's fine with us," they agreed, speaking at the same time.

"So who's all playing?" Jason asked around.

Trini, grinning, counted in herself, Aisha, Kim, Karise, Kira, Ashley, and Nerina. Jason, going off his friend's team, counted in himself, Tommy, Andros, Trent, Conner, Rocky, and Billy. The others set back and watched. They split into sides to cheer on one of the teams.

Conner and Karise set up the area to play, the sand making it a challenging endeavor. Each cousin took up their normal positions, making Karise the goalie for the girl's team and Conner center forward for the guys. The other rangers playing spread out into whatever position they felt most comfortable.

Ethan, playing referee, tossed the ball into play. It went crazy, especially when one member of a couple had the ball and the other was trying to get it. Karise cheered her team on from the goal, sticking her tongue out at Conner every time she caught one of his attempts to score a goal.

Laughing, Ethan finally had to call a halt to the game when the girls were leading by four points. Of course, by then the reason for the soccer game had been accomplished and the younger rangers were more at ease with the older rangers.

"Anyone up for one last round of diving?" Nerina asked, looking out over the water.

"I'm game," Karise stood up from where she had sat down. "You wanna try again Conner?"

"Aright," Conner agreed, mostly because he didn't want the older red rangers to see he was afraid or to know that he couldn't swim.

Kira stood as well, agreeing to go. Trent followed Nerina, challenging her to race to see who could get to the top first. The two took off, Trent chasing after Nerina.

"Don't even think about it Conner," Kira glared at him. "Even without super speed, you would still beat me."

Instead, Conner picked her up and took off with her. They could hear her shrieks as several of those watching and listening laughed. Ethan was loudest, calling out encouragement to the stubborn red and yellow rangers. Karise shook her head and took off after them, thinking that maybe they wouldn't need her help after all.

* * *

"Conner!" Kira punched him. "What on Earth were you thinking, taking off like that with me?"

"I was only playing," Conner tried to defend himself, "I won't do it again if it bothers you that much."

Kira sighed, her annoyance ebbing. "Just warn me next time, before you go and take off like that. Not everyone is used to going so fast."

"You're lucky she didn't blow your eardrums," Karise told him, coming to a halt from her own running. "Are you two going to fight or jump?"

"Jump," Kira turned to do just that.

Conner gave warning, grabbed her, and took off over the edge of the cliff. Karise shook her head as she heard their gleeful screaming and the final splash that told her they had hit the water.

Backing up a few paces, Karise prepared to begin her own run.

"I thought that you would be here."

Karise froze, slowly standing up and turning to face the woman who had spoken. A very large part of her wished it was Elsa, because she could fight Elsa. She didn't know if she could fight the woman it actually was, not now and not ever.

The woman Karise found herself facing was shorter then she was, with longer and darker hair. Her eyes were blue verses Karise's hazel brown. The woman was thin, not lean like Karise. Also, there was a cruel feeling about her that made most people give her a wide berth.

This woman was the cause of her nightmares.

Her mother.


	13. Chapter 13

Now What?

Chapter 13

Again, I own nothing but OC people and the plot. Also, I apologize for not updating…writer's block has been fencing this one in for awhile.

* * *

"Hey, where's Karise?" Ethan asked, looking at those coming out of the water. He snickered, Conner looked a bit like a drowned dog.

Conner shook his head, sending water flying from his wet hair. "Isn't she right behind us?" He glanced over his shoulder at the water.

"She was," Nerina replied, "did you see her jump?" She glanced up at the cliff, but she couldn't see anything from the angle she was at.

"Conner took off ahead of her," Kira told her, looking up at the cliff as well. "We started swimming back as soon as we surfaced."

Ethan frowned. "I didn't see her come back down the path. Kim, has Karise come back?" The woman was walking towards them.

"I thought she went with you guys?" Kim looked at them. "We didn't see her walking back, and she isn't with the others."

"What's up?" Jason and Tommy jogged over, concern clear on both their faces. "Where's Raptor gone off to?"

"We don't know, I thought she was right behind us." Kira answered.

"I'm going to go check out the cliff." Conner headed off, almost tempted to use his speed as an uneasy feeling began in his chest. He didn't, but only because he had a feeling that this wasn't ranger related. If it was, Karise would have contacted them or they would have heard the noise of battle.

The other rangers glanced at each other and headed off right after him. Nerina followed, figuring if it was ranger-type trouble, her ninja uniform would hide her identity well enough from anyone who didn't already know what she was. Tommy didn't follow them, at least not right away.

"What's up Bro?" Jason looked at him. Karise was almost like a little sister to him, she was definitely one of his favorite students.

"I'm not sure, but something doesn't feel right." Tommy replied, glancing at Kim. "You don't think?"

Kim was confused for about a second before she caught on to what Tommy was hinting at. Her eyes widened before she took off back towards the others. She dragged Jason along with her as Tommy went after his current team.

* * *

"Did you really think you'd be safe here?" Nicole taunted as she sauntered closer to her daughter. "Have you really deluded yourself that people care for you?"

Karise shook. She wanted to run, wanted to scream for help, wanted to do anything but stand there and listen to what her mother was saying to her. Years of abuse held her in place. Just because it didn't look as if the smaller woman had anything in hand to hurt her, did not mean that she didn't have something.

She tried to remember that she was strong. That her uncle and cousin did, in fact, care about her. She tried to keep in mind that she did have friends, loyal ones that would stand up for her when she needed them to just as she would for them. She tried to keep her stress level down so as not to bring the Riders to her, as they were known to do if they, especially Rap, thought she needed them.

It wasn't working very well, especially as Nicole came closer. Karise could see the glint of a small blade that Nicole had in her hand. Her nails had also been sharpened into points and Karise had enough scars from those to know just how sharp her mother could get her nails.

Nicole chuckled darkly. "You have, haven't you? Stupid, worthless little girl, what is there about you to like or care about?"

Karise felt the retorts building in her throat. She fought to keep silent, knowing exactly the response she would get if she said anything. How could she be so weak? Ranger battles never caused her to freeze up like this. If it had been Elsa who had shown up behind her, they'd be fighting and Karise would be exchanging barbs with the evil woman. Why was it that she was afraid of her own mother, but not of the things that other people had nightmares about?

"Nothing to say?" Nicole stepped closer, sliding the blade across the bare skin of Karise's lower back as she circled the girl. "What, you expect someone to come along and rescue you?"

Karise jumped as Nicole placed pressure in the blade, making it bite into her skin.

"No one's coming to rescue you, little girl. They're all too busy having fun down there. They haven't even noticed you're not there."

Why was she just standing there? This wasn't the basement, this was a public beach. If she screamed, someone would come. Or…she glanced behind her at the edge of the cliff. She could just hear the tide as it moved, in or out she couldn't remember at the moment but she didn't care.

Before her fear could reassert itself, Karise had spun away and leapt towards the edge of the cliff. She put every ounce of speed she could draw up into the leap. She shot away from Nicole and her now bloody blade, a new slice across her back and side. Her swimsuit absorbed most of the blood, but Karise didn't care about that. She prepared herself to hit water and hoped that there weren't any sharks nearby, or else she'd probably be dinner before she reached the shore.

* * *

Conner topped the rise in just enough time to see Karise leap over the edge of the cliff. His aunt was standing there, bloody blade in hand. The woman was obviously angry, but she was actually grinning as she stood there and watched Karise jump. Conner ignored her, running to try and follow his cousin over the ledge.

He wasn't fast enough. Kira caught him, shaking her head.

"We'll go from the beach," the yellow ranger caught Nerina's hand and pulled her in the opposite direction. Neither girl wasted time, running full out at top speed, hoping that the tide would be slow enough that they could rescue their friend.

Ethan and Trent held Conner back from attacking the woman they didn't know. Tommy passed the girls, taking a brief look between the blue and white rangers holding back the red ranger and the woman who had just turned towards them.

"What did you do?" Conner demanded.

"You can stop pretending now Conner, the little nuisance is gone." The woman reached uncaringly into her pocket to pull out a cloth.

Conner growled, knowing how un-ranger like his current train of thought was going. How could she just pass off what had just happened? Karise could be dead, and her own mother didn't care. If not for his friends holding him back, he probably would have attacked her.

"She's not a nuisance!" Conner finally managed to spit out. He was fighting with what he _wanted_ to call his aunt and how he'd been raised to treat women in general (even if his mouth and hormones sometimes got away from him).

Ethan and Trent exchanged a look. It was hard holding Conner and they were almost as angry as he was, but they would not let their friend do something they knew he'd regret later. Tommy had maneuvered around behind the woman, keeping an eye on the blade she still held in her hand.

They had all seen Conner angry, but never this angry. Tommy knew he had to do something before Conner managed to break away from Ethan and Trent. Calling on the few moves he knew for disabling an attacker who held a weapon (that wasn't a monster, minion, or peon of the current bad guy), he struck the blade from her hand and restrained her.

Nicole was stronger than she looked, but Tommy had years of being a ranger and martial artist under his hat. Brute strength had nothing on that, especially since he had almost a foot on the woman and he lifted her off the ground.

Jason arrived and grabbed her ankles before the raving mad-woman could kick his friend. "Kim called the cops, the others are out looking for Karise." He shot a look at the three male rangers. "Go help, we'll bring her down."

Conner didn't hesitate. Once he turned direction, his friends let him go and he ran down to the beach. He might not be able to swim well enough to search the water, but he knew how to search a beach. Ethan helped him as Trent joined the others in the water.

"We'll find her man," he tried to assure his leader. "Karise is going to be fine."

She had to be…

Others had entered the water and the coast guard had been called out, a boat was heading towards the cliff even now. Tommy and Jason were talking with one of the officers who had arrived on the beach. Conner knew they'd most likely want to talk to him eventually, but for now that could wait.

A crackle came over the walkie-talkie held by one of the officers.

"We've got her, have a bus on scene at the dock. She's not looking good."

Conner spun and raced towards the nearest dock, just barely visible from where the girls had chosen for the picnic. He ignored his friends cries for him to wait. He beat the ambulance by a few minuets, but not the boat.

"I'm going with her," he told them.

"Are y-" one of the EMTs began asking him when his partner nudged him.

"Of course he is, get in the back. You know anything about first aid?" She asked him as Conner climbed in on the opposite side of Karise.

She was breathing, but barely and she was paler than anyone Conner had ever seen before. He nodded.

"A little, we both play soccer so it's pretty basic." Not to mention patching themselves up after a battle, but the EMT didn't need to know _that_.

"Okay then, gloves behind you, hand me a pair and put some on yourself." She instructed him in applying pressure to the slice on Karise's back.

Conner fought not to be sick. He could see _bone_. He'd seen the other scars, more or less, but this wasn't a scar.

He was sent to the waiting room once they'd reached the hospital. A nurse came by and showed him where he could clean up. Since he'd come from the beach, he hadn't changed. The same nurse found him some scrubs for him to put on and a bag for his clothing. He was a little shocked to see that there was blood on his shirt.

"You're sister's going to be fine," the EMT from earlier was back.

Conner didn't correct her. "Where is she?"

"She's in surgery, but I can tell you something of her condition if you like. Is she your twin?"

"Cousin," he replied. "I should call my dad…"

"Taken care of," the EMT assured him. "You did a good job in getting the bleeding stopped. Do you know where she got all those scars?"

Conner collapsed into one of the chairs and let his head drop into his hands. "Her mom…how can someone do that to their own kid?"

The EMT sighed. "I don't know, I could lie and give you an excuse, but something tells me you'd see right thru it. So, no, I don't know how one person could hurt another person. Why is some guy trying to destroy the town with monsters on a weekly basis?"

Conner almost opened his mouth to tell her, but shrugged instead. The woman went on.

"The surgeon's sewing up her back and they're treating her for hypothermia and shock. Did she get pushed off the cliff?"

Conner shook his head and told her, leaving out anything regarding the rangers. The woman nodded, following along until he stopped.

"Your dad should be here soon, and I'll leave a note with the nurse's station so they know to take you back once your sister's in recovery."

This time Conner looked up to correct her but found the EMT shaking her head.

"Hon, anyone looking between you two isn't going to question it. Especially with the way you're reacting. Just go with it."

Conner nodded numbly, watching the woman leave. He wanted to cry, and he wasn't even the one being sewn up like some broken toy.

"Conner!" Kira rushed over to him. The others were trailing behind her, including his dad. "Have you heard anything yet?"

"Karise's in surgery, and the docs are treating her for hypothermia." He managed to get out. Why hadn't he waited until after Karise had jumped? He could have protected her…

"Hey," Kira made him look at her, "no blaming yourself for this. Karise will be the first one to tell you she doesn't blame you. No one knew anyone else was up there, and even if we did we probably would have passed it off for being one of the others."

"But…"

"No, no buts soccer-boy." Kira grinned at the half-laugh she got from him at that. "Now, you left your car at the beach," she dropped his keys into his hand, "next time, I'll let Ethan drive it."

Conner snorted at that. "There won't be a next time. Thank you." He gave her a half-smile.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Anyone else and he'd have blown a gasket." He muttered to himself, although he knew Nerina and Trent had both heard him.

Sam shook his head at the teens. He went to fill out paperwork with the nurses. Hopefully it wouldn't be long until they could go in and see his niece. He glanced over to where his son's science teacher and his niece's gymnastics instructor stood with the teens. There was far more there than just teacher/student, but he was wise enough to realize that it wasn't sexual. No, it was as if they were…teammates. Raising an eyebrow to himself, he toyed with the idea that his son was a power ranger, along with the new friends he had made that year.

Then he passed it off. True or not, well, he had no way to prove it. He was also not going to discourage the relationship. After all, there were just some things sons and daughters couldn't talk about with their parents. At least he knew that Conner and Karise were in safe company and, really, that was all a parent could really ask for in regards to their children's friends.

The calm that had settled over the waiting group was broken when a group of six males entered the waiting room. Conner broke away from Kira and stood to glare at them. Sam signed the last paper and handed them to the nurse.

"Frank, outside. Now." He looked hard at his nephews. "You five, sit down and stay quiet."

Kira watched as the five teenage males slouched into seats while Mr. McKnight led his brother outside. None of the boys looked anything like their father, uncle, sister, or cousins (she'd seen a picture of Eric and Conner; they were identical, more or less). They all, in fact, looked like taller, male versions of their mother. She did not like the way the two who looked to be only a little older than Conner looked at her.

"So what's the nit-wit done this time?" The one in the middle asked, scowling at Conner.

"Shut up Greg," Conner snarled.

"Or you'll what Jock-boy? Kick me like one of your precious soccer balls?" Greg sneered at him.

Kira bristled. She was the only one allowed to tease Conner about being a jock! Not even Ethan and Trent went there, not anymore anyway. Besides, they all knew Conner was much more than the jock he portrayed.

Tommy held Kim back, having no doubt that his fiancée wanted to bounce the boy out the nearest window. He saw Trent keeping a firm hold on Nerina and he hoped she couldn't set people on fire by only glaring at them.

Conner fisted his free hand. The other was held firmly in Kira's. He wanted to hit his cousin so badly right now; he knew he wasn't thinking clearly.

"I wouldn't waste my time." Conner returned.

"You might not, but I would." Eric entered, followed by a woman who could only have been Conner's mother. "Came as soon as we could," he nodded to his twin. "Anything yet?"

Conner shook his head. His mother came over and hugged him before turning to the five boys. They had all shrunk down into their seats.

"You five, out, now, before you cause any more problems." She ushered them out. She turned to her sons, "Your father and I will be right back." She followed them.

"Mom's livid," Eric told his twin, "when Dad called, and she went and dragged me out of class, I thought you'd gone and done something to land yourself in this place. We were half-way here before she finally explained." He looked around at the people surrounding his brother. "So, what did happen exactly?"

Conner returned to his seat and sighed. He told his brother what had happened and what he had learned from Karise since she had arrived on his doorstep. Eric frowned, his face darkening. Like Conner, Karise meant a great deal to him. He was very well aware that his twin and female cousin had a closer bond, but that had never deterred his affection any. Karise was just as capable of knocking sense into him as she was doing the same to Conner.

"Somehow I doubt a sleepover in the tree-house is going to fix this mess." Eric sighed. "So Aunt Nicole is locked up? Is that why Uncle Frank and the minions are here?"

"I guess so; I wasn't really paying much attention." Conner admitted.

"Understandable." Eric sighed. "Do you think she'd take an opening at my school? Sensei would keep her safe…"

Nerina spoke up. "Karise is not meant to be a ninja; if she had been she'd already been enrolled."

For the first time, Eric took a closer look at his brother's friends. The one that had spoken, he realized, had the badge for the Fire Academy. That must mean…

"Do they all know?"

"Yea," Conner shrugged. "Nerina is a friend of Karise's; she came to visit right before the Ninja Rangers hit town."

Eric nodded, remembering the lessons sparked from that occurrence. "Well, so much for that idea then." He finally sat down. "What are we gonna do then Con? We can't let her go back."

Before Conner could answer, the nurse came in to take him, and no one else, back to recovery where Karise was. Reluctantly, he left the others and followed the nurse.

"How is she?" He asked, nervous.

"She's going to be fine," the nurse assured him with a smile. "She's still out from the anesthesia, but she should come around soon."

"Okay, thank you," Conner pulled up a chair and took Karise's hand in his.

The nurse watched them for a few moments before heading back out to find the Uncle.

Conner waited until she was gone to begin speaking. "Come on Karise, you gotta wake up little sis," he sighed. "Everyone else is here, well, not the oldsters, but everyone from our team plus Eric and Mom." She was so pale… "You've given us a really good scare, seeing you dive off the cliff like that…were you trying to kill yourself?"

"Conner," Sam walked into the room, looking at them. "I need to know what happened, from someone who actually saw it."

So Conner found himself telling the story again. "There was so much blood, even then…I saw _bone_ Dad, actual bone…that was worse than the time I walked in on her in the bathroom when I was twelve."

Sam chuckled at the memory. "Your uncle and cousins have left."

"Did you send them away or did Mom?"

"They left on their own…Frank didn't even want to see her." Sam sighed. He couldn't imagine not wanting to see either of his sons, especially when one of them was injured or in the hospital. No matter what they did or what happened in life, they were still his sons.

"What about the others?" Conner asked, needing to know.

"Same, and I don't understand it. Even when you and Eric fight, you've never…_abandoned_…each other." Sam looked at his son, the one he had raised.

"Right," Conner nodded, looking back at Karise.

She was lying on her stomach, blankets piled on her with tubes and wires connecting her to two machines and IV and blood bags. Despite how tall she was, Conner couldn't help but feel that she looked…small. Not Kim tiny, but small nonetheless.

Sam sighed. "I'll send you mother and brother in…what about the others?"

"Karise would want to see them." Conner said firmly.

Sam nodded and went out. That began the round of visitors until everyone had had a chance to see that Karise was alright. Unconscious, but alright.


	14. Chapter 14

Now What?

Chapter 14

I OWN ONLY THE OC PEOPLE AND THE PLOT!

* * *

Karise groaned as she felt herself waking up. Where was she? She remembered her mother being on the cliff, the fear, her leap into the water, and the blade biting deeply into her back even before her escape attempt.

Concentrating, she realized she could hear the beeping of a heart monitor. She was also lying on her stomach. Conner the lion was beside her head, and her cousin was holding her hand and asleep with his head resting beside it.

_The hospital? But…why is he here? Doesn't he have better things he could be doing? Like saving the world or kissin' on Kira?_

As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew her mother's words had had an effect on her. Just as they always did. She had run away…_again_. Admittedly, it was from a battle she couldn't face, much less win…

But wasn't there a difference between running away because you were scared and running away because it was better to return to fight another day? Or were they two different ways of looking at the same coin? Karise didn't know…and she was afraid to ask.

_Damn it all…I'm tired of being scared! I'm tired of having scars on my body from a hatred I don't understand. I'm sick and tired of being worried about doing something to lose the love I do have._

She felt a warming on her opposite wrist and realized that someone, most likely Conner, had returned her morpher to her wrist. The warming was from her gem, reminding her that she was worth what she had. If she hadn't been, the gem never would have bonded to her in the first place. She smiled and opened her eyes again.

"Hey," she croaked, "sleepy-head, ain't ya missin' sumbody?"

Conner's head shot up. "You're awake!"

Karise grinned at him. "Water?"

Conner nodded and reached to where there was a pitcher beside him. He poured a glass of water and stuck a straw in it. Karise grunted as she tried to sit up only to find she couldn't. Glaring, she drank the water thru the straw.

"What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"Mother was there," Karise began slowly, telling Conner what had happened before he'd gotten there. She didn't look at him. Easily done since she was lying flat and face-down.

"That's a bunch of drivel," he told her, rolling her eyes at her snort. He did remember some of his vocabulary from English class! "Dad and I love you, little sis," it was his turn to grin at her startled look. "Eric's sleeping in his room at home. Mom wants a phone call as soon as you can make one."

"Eric and Aunt Aira were here?" Karise's eyes were wide as she looked at him.

"I'm still here," Eric walked in. "I see little us is awake." He went and ruffled Karise's hair. "Mom would still be here to, but she had to return to work." He looked her over. "You gave us a scare, don't do it again."

"I'll try not to." She smiled at him. "No promises though."

Eric laughed. "It's good you woke up. I was afraid I'd have to leave before you did."

"How long was I out?" Karise asked, curious and a bit alarmed.

"Three days," Conner replied. "The doc said it was a side effect of the hypothermia and blood loss that did it." His face was stern. "What made you to jump off the cliff?"

"Escape route?" Karise suggested. "I knew she wouldn't follow me that way, Mother hates water."

"Why didn't you head back to the group?" That was Conner's biggest concern. "They were all worried, by the way. If Jason hadn't had to leave, he'd still be hovering over at Dr. O's. Kim was beginning to threaten him if he didn't stop trying to pace a whole in their living room floor."

Karise snickered at that. "I can see that. I guess I have some e-mails to write later…"

"I guess so," Eric dropped a kiss to her head. "I've got to get back to school, but I'll be up to visit during the summer."

"Bye," the two rangers called as he left. Karise turned to Conner.

"Three days? I was out for three days?"

"Yea, in fact, I need to go get a nurse," he got to get up, but a woman was already bustling in.

"Just sit down; you're twin sent me in." The nurse went around and began checking Karise's vital signs and the like. "You'll need to leave so I can change her bandage."

"He can stay," Karise told her before Conner could move. "He'll be the one helping me change it home, if I can't do it myself."

The nurse raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "If you say so. You can help me then." She showed Conner what to do. "You're healing fairly quickly, which is good. It doesn't need such a heavy bandage and the stitches should be able to come out soon. Now, we just need to run a few tests, make sure none of the nerves were damaged."

"Okay." Karise did as the nurse and then the doctor instructed her to do. Conner stood there and held her hand the entire time.

"I should go and call the others." Conner suggested. "Dad to, they'll want to come and see you."

"Okay," she looked at him. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I'll tell you when I get back." Conner told her. He hadn't even thought of how he'd tell her that her father and brothers hadn't even wanted to see her. He'd hoped she'd never have to know.

Karise was sitting up when he got back. She was grimacing at her hair and the hospital gown she was wearing.

"So, spill," she dropped the strand of hair she'd been messing with to look at him. "What happened after I jumped?"

He told her, watching her carefully. It was one thing to know about something, another to see it.

"She's really in jail? Father just left her there?" Karise looked at him.

Conner nodded. "Dad's bringing the social worker and a cop with him, to get the information from you and add it to your file."

"And none of them wanted to see me?" She watched as he nodded. "Figures, Mother does something and it's my fault when it upsets 'family stuff'." She sighed. "So when are they shipping me back? Or to a foster home?"

"Never," Conner replied, glaring at her for even thinking about it. "Uncle Frank signed over custody to Dad. No matter what happens, you're stuck with us."

Karise blinked at him. Tears began to fall and he wrapped his arms around her. "You guys really want me around all the time?"

"Of course we do," Conner assured her. "Besides, there'd be an empty slot on the team if you left."

"Am I still on the team?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Kira, Ethan, Nerina, and Trent walked in. Kira had been the one to speak.

"Tired of us already?" Ethan joked. "I've still gotta beat you at air hockey before you go anywhere!"

"Besides, the Riders won't listen to anyone else." Trent added in. "And someone has to be around to keep Conner's ego manageable."

"Hey!" Conner play swiped at Trent, who ducked behind Nerina. It got the desired response though as Karise laughed.

Nerina smiled at her friend. "If nothing else, think of it this way. You and Kira still have _it_ to do." Kira and Karise exchanged looks. Of course Nerina would figure that one out.

Sam entered, followed by an officer and the social worker. The other teens were chased out of the room and the door closed.

* * *

A day later, Karise was sitting in her room. Conner and the others had been called out to fight Elsa's newest monster. Conner, Dr. O, Kim, _and_ Hayley had all grounded her. Sam was hovering downstairs so she couldn't even sneak out to help Hayley in the Command Center.

_Not that she needs me to do that_…Karise sighed in boredom and lay down. Nerina and Kim were undoubtedly standing in the base with Hayley, watching the battle. The battle she _should_ be helping with.

"Hey kiddo," Sam stood in the doorway. "What do you say we go out back and work on your aim?" He knew what Karise wanted to do, but the doctor had told her that until the stitches came out there was to be no Karate Club.

Karise looked at him. She hadn't needed to work on her 'aim' for years, but she nodded anyway. It would be better than sitting up here and moping.

"Sure, I'll get my stuff and meet you down there." Karise got off the bed as her uncle left. It didn't feel right, she realized as she pulled her bow out from the closet, to not be out there fighting with her team.

_If they need me, they'll call me in._ She told herself. _If they don't, Rap or one of the other Riders will._ Of that she had no doubt. Besides, on Rap she'd be perfectly safe.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she trotted down the stairs and outside. Sam had already put up the targets. His own bow was ready to go, his quiver attached to his hip. Unmindful of her cut, Karise placed her quiver in the same position. It hurt, but not as much as it could have.

"So what do I get when I win?" She asked, grinning.

"When?" Sam looked at her. "You mean _if_ you win. I _might_ let you try my bow."

Karise broke out into a smile. She'd had her bow for years, from before she'd had her growth spurt. She'd pretty much outgrown hers, but she'd never complained about it.

"You're on." She told him.

"You go first." Sam stepped back and watched.

That was where Conner found them when he finally managed to get home. Trent had taken Nerina to the bus station to see her off. Kira and Ethan had each headed to their own homes for the night. It was late and his dad had turned on the yard lights so that they could still see well enough to shot.

He stayed quiet. He and Eric had both learned the hard way not to interrupt an Archery lesson. Karise had nearly shot them when they had spooked her and their dad. Conner felt his eyebrow go up. Karise was using his dad's bow instead of her own. Glancing at where it lay on the table on the porch, he saw why. The string had broken and the hard plastic of the bow itself was cracked.

"Hey Conner," Sam greeted his son. "That's it for now Karise, put it up and then join us in the kitchen."

"Alright," she looked at Conner and winched. He might not have noticed it, but there was a scrape on the side of his face and a bruise was beginning to form around the eye right above it. "What happened?" She motioned to his eye.

Conner flinched. "Elsa got a lucky shot before I could morph."

"What did she hit you with, a rock?" Karise gently touched the bruised area. "That's going to stick for a bit, even _with_ ranger healing. Why is she gunning for you all of a sudden?"

"Cause she hates me?" Conner replied. "As to what she hit me with, she was wearing these really freaky gloves. They had something like sandpaper on the knuckles."

"Sandpaper?" Karise said slowly, eyes beginning to widen. "Bathroom, now, before Uncle Sam wonders what's taking so long."

As she hurried Conner toward the bathroom where they kept the first aid stuff, she put up the archery things. That way, if he asked, she could claim it had taken her a little longer because she had never released the tension from his compound bow before.

"What's the rush? It's fine." Conner looked at her from where he sat on the edge of the tub.

"Gloves with sandpaper?" She looked at him. "I've seen those before, Jason was showing us a pair that had been taken from one of his opponents in a tournament. They're illegal, because it isn't sandpaper." She was applying a mix of peroxide, aloe, and burn cream.

"Ow, that gunk stinks." He wrinkled his nose. "And it stings."

"Good, it's meant to and it means I was right." Karise glared at him and he stopped trying to move away.

"What is it then, if not sandpaper?"

"I'm not exactly sure what it is, but whatever it is, it causes a scratch before it swells into something similar to a burn and the person gets really sick." Karise explained, rubbing a little around his eye as well, just to be safe.

"How do you know this?"

"Jason showed us the scar he got from them, before the judges disqualified the guy for having the gloves."

"Scar?" Conner's eyes widened.

"Calm down, the medics missed a patch when looking Jason over. Yours won't scar, it isn't deep enough anyway, and with ranger healing it'll be fine." Karise raised an eyebrow. "One little scar isn't going to mar your looks Conner. You can even make up a soccer accident, hell, blame it on me kicking you with cleats on if it happens."

He glared at her and she grinned at him. "Yea, yea, laugh it up." He stood. "Just how long do I have to leave this crap on anyway?" It looked as if someone had begun painting his face for a costume and stopped before they'd even gotten started.

"Until it dries, then it'll just fall off." Karise told him. "Don't poke at it."

He pouted as he followed her out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. Sam looked at them but didn't say anything. He'd seen Karise patch up Conner and Eric both with her homemade concoctions. He also knew they tended to work rather well and now he knew why.

"Sit down you two, we need to talk." He watched as their faces fell and they exchanged looks. "You two aren't in trouble, but I do have some questions for you."

"How come I've got a feelin' that those questions might be sumthin' we can't answer?" Karise said as she sat down.

"I think you just answered them actually," Sam told her as he watched them. "That aside, they've set a date for the trial."

"Trial?" Karise looked at him, confused.

"Your mother is being charged with child abuse and attempted murder." He met her eyes. "You might not realize this, but if that blade had gone in any deeper, she would have severed your spinal cord. Or even gutted you. Possible both."

"She wasn't even concerned when you threw yourself off that cliff," Conner spoke up.

"But…father isn't bailing her out? What about the boys?" She wasn't looking at either of them.

"Frank…" Sam didn't understand his brother anymore. "He turned over evidence, and I've no real idea what he's planning on doing with the boys other than removing Nicole's parental rights for the time being."

"Father did that? But, why? He's never…none of them ever…"

Sam sighed. "None of them want anything to do with you," he told her. "Frank has signed full custody of you to me until you're of age. It's up to you what you want to go from here."

"What do you mean?" She still wasn't looking at either of them. Her hands were clasped firmly in her lap. She was studying them as if they held the answers.

"Do you want to stay here? Eric's Headmaster has offered you a place in their Samurai program or if you wish to return to your former school as a boarding student, you could do that."

Now she looked up at them. "Do you want me to leave?"

"I want you to stay." Conner told her.

"I'm with Conner, besides, from what I've seen, you've already made friends here." Sam replied.

"I could stay here, and no one will try and take me away?"

"No, this is your home Karise. For as long as you want it to be." Sam told her.

"Is forever okay?" Karise asked, daring to hope.

"Perfect," Sam replied.

* * *

Karise ran into the command center. "I'm staying!" She leapt at Rap and wrapped her arms around her Rider. "No one's going to be able to hurt me like that ever again." She smiled widely as she wiped tears from her eyes. "I've finally got what I wanted, these are happy tears." She stroked the other Riders on the head. "I'm finally home."


	15. Chapter 15

Now What?

Chapter 15

Again, I only own the plot (kinda, I'm certain similar fics have been written before mine and will be after this is finished) and any characters you don't recognize. If you want to use my characters, just ask first. Also, the name for the new bad for this chapter and the next two is owned by Disney. Cheers for anyone who recognizes it and knows what movie/story it's from. Before anyone asks, NO, it is NOT that character.

* * *

Conner tried to roll over and groaned instead. Everything hurt. It felt as if someone had gone and beaten him from head to toe, which was odd, since he'd gone to bed feeling perfectly fine the night before. Maybe a little bruised from the battle with Elsa's latest monster grown to gigantic proportions, but no worse off than any of the others or after any other battle.

Thinking of his bed made Conner realize that he wasn't where he was supposed to be. The floor underneath him was cold stone, smooth instead of the rough concrete that made up his bedroom floor. He almost that that he'd managed to roll himself off his bed, across the floor, and onto the mats he had for when he and Eric wanted to wrestle inside (and not get into trouble), and that would explain why he felt so beaten up, but the heavy weight on his ankles told him otherwise.

With a grunt, he opened his eyes and levered himself up so he was sitting. His ankles were bound right above his shoes. Wait…his shoes? He hadn't…Conner would have hit himself if he wasn't already hurting.

They had gotten a call sometime after midnight, calling them to the park to deal with a monster who was tearing up playground equipment. He remembered fighting, helping the girls when they had gotten trapped…with that he shot his head up and looked around in search of his girls and the rest of their teammates.

Kira and Karise weren't there, but Tommy and Trent were. So were several others, all men, all that Conner either recognized from having met them or vaguely from Tommy's video diary. He knew Blake, Hunter, and Dustin from having worked with them a few months back. He recognized Jason and Andros from the beach party that ended in disaster. The other's he was blanking on name and team wise, but he could guess their colors from the clothing there wearing. So far, he was seeing mostly red, with a black/silver, two blues, and a green.

Okay…Conner admitted he was lost. Knowing people on sight was more his brother's, or even their cousin's, talent. Not one of his. At least he wouldn't be adding to is 'dumb jock' rep by asking what they all had in common. He figured he wouldn't be the only one to not know everyone else currently sitting in the cell.

* * *

Karise and Kira were both pacing. The fight last night had been a distraction, one that ended up with three of their teammates captured. Kim was clearly just as worried as the two teenagers, but she refrained from pacing. Instead, she was trying to cover for two of the missing three.

"I got here as soon as I could," Nerina entered the base. "What's the plan?" She was clearly agitated, since she was in her ninja uniform instead of street clothes.

"We don't have one yet," Ethan replied. He was helping Hayley run a search for the others. "We're having issues tracking them, it's almost as if they disappeared."

"We can't give up," Kim told them all, "we'll rescue them."

"Someone's here," Karise suddenly froze and looked up at the ceiling. "Rap's keeping watch, but she doesn't recognize who it is." She closed her eyes and concentrated. "It's Kat, but Jason isn't with her."

It had been nearly three months since the beach party. Everything, more or less, had been going on normally (for them anyway). They had just begun their last summer break before senior year and the end of high school. Even with sometimes daily monster attacks, they hadn't run into anything worse than that. Not even the upcoming trial, but Karise pushed that thought aside.

Kim got up and went upstairs to let her friend inside. As soon as Kat saw her, she broke down into tears.

"Someone kidnapped Jason," she finally managed to get out as Kim held her. "They used a monster to do it."

"Come on, Jason isn't the only one that's been ranger-napped." Kim swallowed. "Tommy was taken to, along with Conner and Trent."

It was Kat's turn to offer comfort as Kim finally allowed herself to cry. They were still standing on the porch when someone cleared their throat. Both former pink rangers looked up.

"Hey Ms. Hart," Tori greeted, looking mildly uncomfortable. Kim didn't recognize the two anxious girls standing just behind the blue Ninja Storm ranger right away.

"Tori?" Kira and Karise had come to see what was keeping Kim. Kira looked confused. "Marah? Kapri?"

"Don't tell me," Karise had heard what Kat had said thru Rap. "You guys are missing some boys, specifically your boys. Right?"

"Pretty much," Tori agreed. "Blake, Hunter, and Dustin were at the track racing when they were attacked. We'd just arrived to pick them up when we saw the monster take off with them."

"Same thing happened to us last night," Kira told them. "The thing took Conner, Dr. O, and Trent."

"Guys," Ethan didn't even blink when he noticed the three ninjas in the front yard. "Hayley's got several incoming messages, she wants everyone down there before she takes them."

They didn't hesitate. All of the girls followed after him until they were all squeezed into the base. Hayley nodded at Kim and the woman came to stand beside her. The tech genius answered, several screens popping up to show several different women who all began talking at once.

Karise clapped her hands to her ears and whistled. She figured that would be better than Kira using her Petra Scream, which the yellow ranger looked very close to doing.

"Can I take a guess on why you're all calling us?" She asked calmly, since everyone's attention was now on her. "You've all had some of your male rangers taken, specifically the ones you're in love with."

"She's right, someone sent a monster up here and he took Andros and Zhane. We just now got close enough to contact you guys." Ashley spoke for her and Karone.

"We got a ransom note," Jen spoke up. Nadira, Taylor, and Alyssa were standing around her. "Or something like it anyway, telling us that they had Wes and Eric plus something took Lucas."

"Same here," Syd looked at Z before she filled the other rangers in on who they were.

Karise and Kira exchanged looks. This wasn't boding well…not when the retired teams were being attacked and having members taken. It also didn't sound like something Mesagog would do; he and his minions were more intent on destroying the current rangers, not going after those that came before and would come after them. Not when it sounded like many of them either no longer had their powers or if they did, didn't have access to them any longer.

"I don't think this is Mesagog's doing, his or his minions." Karise said slowly.

"I agree," Kim nodded. "Hayley, can you give everyone directions to get here? This will be easier solved if we're all in one place."

"On it, sending now." Hayley's fingers sped over the keyboard as she did what Kim asked her to do. Inwardly, she was grinning. Who ever had done this obviously didn't know female rangers very well.

* * *

Tommy shook his head and sat up. Glancing around, he knew they were in trouble. He recognized all but two of the men sitting chained around the room. And the room was round, he realized, and smoothed stone.

"Hey Dr. O," Conner spoke, breaking the silence they were all sitting in. "Should we be waking them up or something?"

"How far can you move?" Tommy asked him, studying his own chains. He had just enough room to sit up or lay down, but not to stand.

"Not very," he replied, "I already tried." He rubbed his cheek where a small bruise was already forming. "Got yanked down as soon as I tried standing."

"Why are you two so loud?" Trent groaned, moving so he could sit up as well. He blinked, staring at the cell. "Where are we?"

"Don't know, when you'd get here?" Jason was up now as well and he nudged the two on either side of him.

"Don't know Bro," Tommy replied, nudging the man in green beside him to get him up. "Last I remember, we were fighting something that almost looked like Rita or Zedd had made it."

"Monkey like, red wings, beady little eyes, and a very insulting navy color?" Blake asked, nudging his brother and Dustin awake.

"Dude, don't forget the smell." Dustin remarked as he sat up, frowning when he realized that despite the stone, there was no earth. "And this isn't rock, or if it is, it isn't from home."

"More or less, that's what took us. I think," remarked the lone male in green. "I'm Bridge, this is Sky. We're SPD Green and Blue."

Sky rolled his eyes, surveying the others in the cell with them. Like Bridge, he recognized them from Ranger History. He found it odd, though, that it was only male rangers, and not even all of them. Had any of the girls been captured? Personally, he hoped not. Between Syd and Z, whoever had them would be having trouble containing them, not to mention the other female rangers throughout history.

Taking their cue from Bridge, the others introduced themselves. None of them, except for Lucas, had ever heard of SPD. Besides that, not all of them knew everyone else. Tommy took role in his head. Together, they had himself, Conner, and Trent from Dino Thunder, Jason from Mighty Morphin', Andros and Zhane from Space, Wes, Lucas, and Eric from Time Force, Cole from Wild Force, Sky and Bridge from SPD, and Blake, Dustin, and Hunter from Ninja Storm.

Conner suddenly groaned. Not in pain, Tommy realized, but like someone who had just realized he was in trouble.

"What is it?" Tommy dared to ask, wondering if the current red ranger was really being that slow.

"We're in trouble," Conner replied, sighing when it looked like they were just going to pass his comment off, "I mean besides this, whatever _this_ is. The girls are going to _kill_ us, _after_ they save us."

Slowly, first Eric, followed by Wes and Jason, and then finally the others, began laughing.

"He's right," Eric told them once they had all calmed themselves down. "Taylor is going to be all over my ass for getting captured and taken hostage."

"Taylor?" Wes looked at him, "At least she's yellow. I'm afraid to think of what Jen is going to do."

Trent blanched. His girl wasn't a ranger, but she _was_ a ninja. A _fire_ ninja. Looking across the room, he realized that his expression was undoubtedly being reflected by Zhane, Dustin, Lucas, and Hunter.

"I have two girls that are going to kill me," Conner groaned. "I think I'd rather face Mesagog by myself than either Karise or Kira when they're pissed."

"Even when we get saved," Bridge added in cheerily, "we're still doomed. Whoever took us better be scared."

Sky snorted. "I almost feel sorry for whoever it is."

They all nodded in agreement. No matter the color, the female rangers and those women brave enough to date a ranger active or not were _scary_.

"You know…"Jason said slowly, "I think that's why the bad guys normally go after the girls for hostages. Against us, they stand a chance at winning."

"Against the girls," Tommy finished for him, "they're doomed to fail."

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Conner added in. "We're going to be on zord cleaning duty for a year."

* * *

It took a few hours, but by mid-afternoon all of the women who were missing their male ranger counterpart had gathered in the Dino Thunder base. Ethan and Hayley were working on tracking the morphing signatures, hoping to find the location that way. Karise had disappeared with Rap, Ethan assumed to calm the Riders who were agitated at the sudden arrival of women that they did not know.

"This is getting ridiculous!" Hayley pushed herself away from the computer. "It's like they disappeared into thin air."

"But they didn't," Nerina spoke up, "most of you saw them get taken. They have to be somewhere."

"What about a space scan?" Ashley suggested. "DECA can help with that, or even a planet wide search."

"What if whoever did this took them out of time? Or to a different time altogether?" Nadira asked, trying not to work herself up. She wasn't a ranger, so she could only do so much to help, but she was fully capable of rescuing her own missing blue ranger.

"I can set the time ship to search for that," Jen offered, glad to have something to do.

Alyssa and Taylor shared a look. "We can see if maybe Red Lion can contact Cole." The white Wild Force ranger offered. Princess Shayla had returned hers and Taylor's growl phones once she discovered Cole's to be missing and heard what had happened from them. Cole was not one to steal anything, much less abuse the power he had been given and would, in some ways, always be within him. He was in trouble, just like all the other missing rangers.

"Um," Karise had reappeared, "I have an idea that might work." The girl who had gotten them to this point was suddenly back to being the shy sixteen year-old she turned into when around people she didn't really know in a situation that had no clear solution. Or at least, no clear way to reach the solution.

"What is it?" Kira looked at her, wondering what else Karise was hiding about her past. Not that she could blame her green teammate for not trusting them all right away. Trust took time to build, especially for someone who'd had her trust broken more times than anyone deserved.

"I have…a way to get in touch with Conner."

'How' was the general response, although Karise didn't know who said it first.

"I don't know if it'll work or not," Karise continued on. "I haven't used it since we were little…until Rap arrived I'd mostly forgotten about it."

Kira, remembering what Dr. O had told them about how Karise communicated with the Riders, stared at her friend. Could she really do it? Their eyes met, golden-brown clashing against the calmer brown so close to the ones Kira would have preferred to be looking in.

"Try?" Kira suggested, half demanding.

Karise nodded, slipping back into the 'stable' area where the Riders stayed when they weren't out with the rangers.

Tori shook her head. "Are you sure," she was looking at Nerina who had known Karise the longest out of any of them, "she doesn't have any ninja potential?"

Nerina looked at the water ninja. "She has it, and I've taught her the basics, but she has no desire to go beyond that. Karise is living the life she was meant for." She shrugged. "Conner has the same, unlike his twin."

Tori nodded, having heard enough from Shane about Eric McKnight and having met him before he became a student and tried to help them. "Now I think I see why Sensei was willing to give her a spot in the academy, even if she would have been Cam's student."

Nerina shrugged. "It is what it is. Now, while she's doing that, any ideas on who would be stupid enough to mess with us?"

They all shook their heads. They all had a fairly good idea on who it _couldn't_ be, either because said villain was either dead, in prison, to busy with their current rangers or in some way no longer an issue. Besides that, the villains they were used to dealing with would have been kidnapping _them_, not their men.

At that point, the alarms went off. Hayley brought up the screen.

"Get Karise, Elsa's in Creek Woods with drones."

Kira nodded, following Ethan into the back. The others watched as the three rangers arrived on the scene on their Rider's.

* * *

"Rangers, can't you ever mind your own business?" Elsa sneered. Then she counted. "Aren't you missing a few of you?"

"They had better things to do," Ethan replied.

"Look, why don't you go flirt with Meso-face and leave the planet alone?" Karise told her, reading to fight.

Elsa growled, knowing any comment she could come up with would only end up with her insulting herself. Then she grinned.

"Why, when he will be so pleased to hear that I've destroyed three of the thorns in his side?" She leapt towards them, sword out. She knew none of them had any weapon remotely close enough to battle her sword with. "Drones, attack!"

Karise and Ethan found themselves battling the drones while Kira faced off against Elsa with her Petra-grips.

"Where's the red ranger when you need him?" Elsa snarled.

Unfortunately for Elsa, she'd forgotten about the Riders. Petra came right up behind her and knocked her away from Kira with a hiss. The drones were finding themselves being tossed aside.

* * *

Hayley was frowning as she watched the Riders. "Something is up with them," she said softly to Kim. "Neither I nor Tommy programmed them to do what they're doing."

Nerina snickered. "You forget, Karise is the _raptor ranger_. She's much like a raptor herself, in case you haven't noticed." Her eyes flickered and she stiffened. "They're about to find it, the last piece. Then the game will begin." She shivered and shook off the after affects of her vision.

"What do you mean?" Kim and Hayley had bother turned to look at the fire ninja.

"Just watch."

Karise found herself thrown into a tree, taking it and herself down to the ground. She landed beside a glimmering object.

"That's mine ranger!" Elsa screamed, dodging Kira's strike and heading straight for Karise. "You won't be making off with my master's gem again!"

Karise scoped up the gem and leapt onto Rap's back. "Catch us if you can. Go Rap!"

Rap took off. Elsa ordered the drones to follow, but while she had been headed towards Karise, the other two and their Riders had taken care of the drones.

"Until next time Rangers!" Elsa left with the defeated drones.

Ethan and Kira wasted no time in returning to base. Karise would return eventually, undoubtedly as soon as they told her Elsa had retreated for the time being.

* * *

"Gem?" Kat looked at Kim.

"Dino gem," Kim answered, "it's what gives the rangers their current power. That one makes seven. Just how many of them are there?" This was directed at Hayley.

"At this point, I don't know. Tommy found the original three, and then retrieved the black one from Mesagog's lair. Trent discovered the white one and Karise found the green one. We assumed those were all of them. After Karise's gem showed up, I ran scans over the town and the surrounding area clear across California. None showed up."

"No more will," Nerina answered, rubbing her head. She _hated_ her visions and was very glad her clairvoyant powers seldom went that far. "That's the last one, or I'm certain the vision would have shown me where anymore were." She finally sat down and closed her eyes. Why wouldn't her powers show her where Trent was? That at least would have been useful.

Ethan and Kira came in, but it was clear that they had no more leads. Karise came in a few moments after them and handed the gem over to Kim. Kim took it without thinking, so when it flashed and warmed in her palm she could only star at it.

_Well_, she thought, _at least its pink_.

"I'll get a morpher started," Hayley murmured.

Karise had disappeared back into the stable-room to try again to contact her cousin.

* * *

Conner nearly jumped when he felt something pressing against his head. _No_, he held himself still, _against my mind…Karise?_ His cousin was the only one he could think of that had that particular ability. Not that he'd known of her using it since they'd been little.

Karise had been four, lonely from being the only girl among the kids gathered at his parent's home. Everyone had pretty much paired off; Greg (being the only one without a twin) had gone off with Kris and Simon while John and Jeff hovered around the women in the kitchen getting petted and offered treats. Since her own triplets didn't want to play with her, she had taken to following Conner and Eric around.

They had set up a game against Karise's oldest brothers. When her soft '_can I play with you_' had crossed his mind, Conner had first thought he was hearing things. Then Eric had looked over at her and invited her to play so the teams were even.

'_Did you just say something?_' He'd thought back at her, knowing he and Eric sometimes knew when the other was upset. They always knew if the other was in trouble, sick, and where the other was.

She had smiled at him, the first time she had done so since she had arrived. She nodded, seemingly happy that she finally had someone who could hear her. They'd spoken that way and aloud until Karise had turned eight or nine, Conner couldn't remember the exact age. Then Karise had seemed to shut that part of herself away.

'_Yea, it's me. I'm glad this worked!_'

Conner got a sense that she was smiling. That was good, she had had little to be happy about recently.

'_Are you and Kira alright?_' He sent along the connection she'd manage to establish. It felt almost…sore from disuse. Like a muscle that hadn't been stretched for awhile.

'_We're fine…how about you? Are the others with you?_'

'_Yea, and we're all chained up._' He relaxed against the wall and closed his eyes. If the others thought he was sleeping, well, so be it.

'_Karone and Ashley_,' she sent images of who she was speaking about to him, '_are helping me talk to you. They can't reach Andros or Zhane. Do you guys know who has you or where you are?_'

Conner sent her everything they knew, trying to keep their talk about the girls away from her along with the dread they had at how the girls were going to react after they had rescued them. He doubted he was doing very well and his head was beginning to hurt.

'_Okay, Conner, stop! I've got it. Just stay strong, the others are working on something to get you guys. Don't give up._'

'_Not in ranger vocabulary,_' he remarked to her right before he felt her close the connection.

His head hurt again and his face felt wet. Gingerly, he touched his face only to have his fingers come away bloody. His nose was bleeding.

"Dr. O, Conner's bleeding," Trent got Tommy's attention while he dug in his pockets for something to stop the bleeding with.

Andros and then Zhane tossed little pocket packs of tissues at Tommy. They exchanged looks. They had recognized the almost trance-like state the current red ranger had gone into. Someone had contacted him telepathically. They had felt Karone and Ashley trying, but something was blocking them. Clearly, the person who had them didn't know Conner knew someone with the same ability.

"Who was it?" Andros met Conner's eyes and refused to look away.

"Karise," Conner answered, muffled by the tissues he was using to stop the blood flow. "She hasn't done that since we were little." He looked at them, curious. "She said Ashley and Karone were helping her?"

Before anyone could respond, the door to their cell opened. Not that they realized there was a door, since the wall looked the same all the way around.

"Zeltrax," Tommy spoke darkly, trying to move to shield Conner. If he knew anything about the guy, he'd go after the one who seemed the weakest.

"Dr. Oliver," Zeltrax sneered. "Thought you were rid of me, weren't you?"

"Considering your ship blew up with you in it?" Tommy snarked back, "yea, I'd say so."

Zeltrax looked as if her were going to attack Tommy, but before he could someone else approached the cell.

"Zeltrax!" It was a woman, but not one any of the rangers recognized. "Now is not the time for your little vendetta."

"You promised me my revenge!" Zeltrax snarled back at her.

She smirked at him. "And you will get it, once I get my revenge. After that, you're more than welcome to destroy all of them." She turned to survey them all. "Such a pity rangers are always such…excellent specimens of man."

Dustin shrank behind Hunter. "Dude, crazy-chick alert."

"What do you want with us?" Jason demanded. As far as he could tell, none of them recognized the woman.

"My revenge on every male ranger with a partner," she told him. "I will see you all destroyed."

"Yea, okay, but why?" Conner asked, glad his nose was no longer bleeding. That had never happened before. "What the hell did we ever do to you?"

"It's rather simple really," she looked over all of them. "You see, a ranger and his lover killed my father, many centuries ago. Since those two are dead, your lives, the lives of your lovers, and your relationships will suffice."

With that, she ordered Zeltrax to follow her as she left the rangers to think over what she had told him.

Dustin swallowed. "Dudes, I hate to have to ask this, but does it make it worse that we got captured by another woman?"

The others groaned with various degrees of worry, annoyance, and realization. This could actually get worse.

"She holds a great amount of hatred for us," Cole spoke softly. "For what we are and what we have…but why would someone hate that?"

Surprisingly, it was Eric who answered him. "Because it's something she's not capable of having. So she's going to destroy it instead."

Wes looked at his friend. "Wow, Taylor's really rubbing off on you, isn't she?"

Eric scowled at him. Wes was one to talk, pining away for a girl he couldn't have no matter what they felt for each other. Cole grinned, knowing exactly how Taylor could get at times when she wanted something done.


	16. Chapter 16

Now What?

Chapter 16

I own nothing but my OC people and the plot.

* * *

Karise had just finished telling the rest of them what she had discovered when talking with Conner. She wanted to try again, but she had a feeling that Conner wasn't as capable of handling it as she was.

"DECA just called," Ashley told them, sitting down. She still couldn't get through to Andros, not even with Karone helping her. There was something blocking them.

"Did she find anything?" Kat asked, wanting to get Jason back.

"A ship, heavily cloaked just behind the moon." Ashley replied. "She found it just before Karise broke the connection with Conner. As far as she can tell, that's where they are."

"It's a forever pink and yellow mission," Ethan said, not thinking and getting hit upside the head twice.

"How about the Female Ranger Mission?" Karise suggested. "Or, you know, remaining silent."

Ethan shrank back into his chair. Damn, but he missed the other males at the moment. No wonder there weren't more girls than guys on the ranger teams. The guys would never have been able to handle it.

"Who has their morphers?" Hayley asked, typing in several commands. Hands went up around the room. "How many don't have power?" Tori and Kat's hands stayed up. "Okay, I think I can fix that, at least temporarily."

"How?" Karise asked, curious.

"I'm going to power down several of the auxiliary zords and filter the power into the morphers. That should be enough power for this mission with enough left over to reawaken the zords." Hayley explained.

"What about the rest of us?" Marah asked. "You know, not all of us are rangers."

Karise raised her hand, red already spreading to her cheeks. "I may have an answer to that."

"What did you do?" Nerina asked, she knew that look.

"I didn't do _anything_," Karise replied, "not on purpose anyway."

"Karise," Nerina, Kim, and Kira spoke calmly, clearly wanting the green ranger to stop avoiding whatever it was.

"The Riders, they can go with the non-rangers and help." Karise replied.

"Yes, but there are only four of them," Kira reminded her. "You and Ethan are going to need them for back up until Kim and I come back with the rest of the team."

"Um, well, you see," Karise looked down and fidgeted. "Petra laid eggs?"

"_What?_" Hayley turned from what she was doing. "That's not possible."

Karise shrugged. "Impossible or not, it's done. There are seven Riders, one for each ranger. They all want to help, especially since, well, you remember their reactions to the Ninja rangers."

Tori and Kira exchanged looks and snickered. Tori was never going to forget the look on Shane's face when Rex had nearly eaten him for lunch.

"Rap and Trike can stay behind with us, the rest will go with you to help. They can carry double." Karise informed them.

"How did you find that out?" Hayley asked, curious.

"My fault I'm afraid," Nerina stepped up. "I was curious, and Rap agreed only if Karise was along."

Hayley threw up her hands and turned to finish the power transfer. "Do it, and be careful, all of you."

"DECA," Ashley commanded, very glad that the AI on the ship would listen to her just as it did to Andros, "Prepare to teleport."

Within seconds, only Karise, Ethan, Hayley, and the two remaining Riders were left in the base.

* * *

Conner rubbed at his ankle, trying to find what was poking him. Finally, he dug out the bobby pins. His shoe began to peal, reminding him why Karise had placed them there to begin with. If he'd felt stupid at the time, he was glad for them know. He'd always wondered how Karise knew how to pick locks, and once he'd learned he valued the lesson all the more. He set to work on the locks holding the manacles together.

"Conner," Tommy looked at his student when he heard the click of a lock opening. "Did you just escape?"

Conner shot a bright grin at his teacher. "Yep." He stood up and stretched. "Does anyone else know how to pick locks?"

Eric snorted. He'd figured Conner couldn't have been as stupid as he was trying to seem. "I can, what've you got?"

"Bobby pins, my cousin's way of fixing my shoe." Conner handed one over to Eric before returning and working on releasing his teammates. Despite that his shoe kept flopping around without the bobby pins to hold the two pieces together, he was still fairly quick in releasing the others.

"Any other tricks you guys are hiding from us?" Trent cracked, rubbing feeling back into his ankles.

"A few," Conner replied, "but I'm going to be in enough trouble as it is without spilling secrets."

"Any ideas on how to escape this place?" Zhane asked, looking around.

"Find a ventilation shaft?" Dustin joked

Hunter and Blake exchanged a look.

"He volunteered," Hunter remarked.

"If he gets stuck," Blake replied, "I'm not saving you from the girls."

Hunter shrugged and picked Dustin up with help from Blake. Dustin yelped.

"I was kidding!"

"It's the best idea we've had," Justin replied. "Everyone, choose a wall and start looking for one."

"Found it," Trent called from his position on Conner's shoulders.

"Ready?" Was the only warning Trent had as he grabbed a hold of the vent cover when Conner went speeding backwards.

"Oh jeeze, I think I'm gonna be sick," Trent groaned, dropping the cover and rolling over. They'd hit the opposite wall and then dropped to the ground.

"It worked didn't it?" Conner nudged the cover. It had been torn sheer off its hinges.

"I'm beginning to figure out just how much trouble you got into as a child," Trent replied.

Tommy rolled his eyes and sighed. He'd given up on trying to figure out the soccer player. Let Kira do that, maybe she'd share what she found out afterwards. He helped Trent up.

"Let's get going before someone comes to check on us." He told them, urging Trent up after Blake.

* * *

"Okay, and I thought Mesagog's place was freaky." Kira remarked, looking at the window of the Megaship.

"It looks like something out of some deranged version of a fairy tale." Nadira agreed. "A deranged version of an original _Grimm's_ fairy tale."

The ship they were looking at had a main body with two towers spinning off of it. A third connected the two with a direct line down to the main piece. It was solid black except for the gray sheen that told where windows were. Surround the body of the ship was something akin to a moving mountainous dust cloud. Except it wasn't a cloud according to DECA's scans, but a solid mass. Dark shapes moved about it, but could not be either seen or scanned clearly.

"Second scan completed," came DECA's voice over the loud speakers, "Fourteen ranger signatures detected."

A general sigh of relief went through all of them. At least that meant that they had found the missing guys.

"So what's the plan then, just storm the place?" Z asked. She was concerned for Bridge, not knowing how that place was going to affect him because of his power. Not that she thought Sky would let anything hurt his friend, but that didn't stop her from worrying about the goofball that had managed to sneak his way into her heart.

Kim smiled. "Oh no, at least, that's not the entire plan."

Everyone turned to the oldest ranger among them. Kim may not have her fiancé's rainbow of colors or his years of service, but that did not mean that she didn't know what she was doing. After all, she'd been one of the original five chosen to protect Earth, beginning the legacy for all of them.

"Half of us are going to 'storm the place'," she replied. "The rest are going to sneak in."

"Oh!" Marah grinned. "You mean those of us without powers are going to use the Riders to get in while the rest of you cause a distraction, right?"

"If that doesn't work," Kapri exchanged looks with her sister, "then we can cause another one that allows the rest of you to get in." They shared knowing smiles with the other non-rangers. After all, most of them had been evil when they met their ranger men. If they couldn't cause a distraction big enough to get in, than it was a lost cause to begin with.

Kim smiled. "Exactly, and we're going to make sure no one else _ever_ decides that we're the weaker halves, rangers or not."

They all nodded. Kim then divided up the teams. Nadira, Kapri, Tori, Marah, Nerina, Alyssa, and Karone made up those going in with the Riders. Karone was borrowing Cassie's morpher for this mission so they did have three rangers on that team. That left the others to make up the team storming the ship. They were going in at two different points. That way, even if sneaking in failed their opponent would still have to split his or her forces.

* * *

"After them!" Zeltrax yelled when he caught sight of the rangers.

The ugly bat-like things came after them. Those without morphers jumped back to form a second line of defense while those with morphers made up the first one.

"Dino Thunder, power up!"

"White Ranger Dino Power!"

"Let's Rocket! 335"

"Time for, Time Force!"

"Quantum Power!"

"SPD Emergency!"

Tommy headed straight for Zeltrax, engaging him while the others took on the peons.

"This is the end for you black ranger!" Zeltrax swung his sword only to have Tommy block it with his Bracio Staff.

"You should know by now," Tommy told him, "rangers never give up!"

The others were finding that the peons were a mix between just about every one of the peons they had individually faced with their own teams. Jason got a lucky strike in on the 'X' in his opponent's chest and the creature exploded into feathered scales before disintegrating entirely.

"Guys, X marks the spot!" He called to the others right before he was hit backwards into Cole.

Cole felt something in his pocket as he rolled over to get up. He pulled out his Growl Phone.

"What?" How had that gotten there?

"Cole, watch out!" Andros yelled at him.

Cole looked up and dodged out of the way. Something didn't feel right about his morpher, since he shouldn't actually have it. He dumped it back into his pocket and continued fighting. Just as he destroyed one of the creatures, he both felt and saw a glimpse of the Red Lion. A shock went through his system and he rolled out of the battle briefly. Then he grinned.

"Wild Access!" The Red Lion ranger was now in the game.

"Fool!" Zeltrax laughed as he shoved Tommy away from him. "Now you are under my command! Destroy your fellow rangers!"

"Why would I do that?" Cole asked, honestly confused as he tossed a peon aside.

"What?" Zeltrax actually backed up a step. That shouldn't have happened. As soon as he'd morphed, the red Wild Force ranger should have been under his control.

"Obviously somebody didn't do his research," Alyssa cried as she came tumbling into the room. "Cole's the last one of us to turn against his friends." She smashed into Zeltrax.

The other girls on the infiltration team arrived shortly after Alyssa, the Riders right along with them.

"You're assuming they have brains." Nerina replied. She was shooting balls of fire at the creatures surrounding Trent. She pulled him up behind her. "The next time you want me to visit," she told him, "just call me."

"I'll do that," he replied. "Double team?"

"Of course, let's show them exactly _why_ they don't mess with ranger couples!"

Nadira had just gotten to Lucas, pulling him up behind her. "The same goes for you!"

Lucas nodded. "Right, when did you guys get here?"

Marah and Kapri arrived next to Dustin and Hunter and tumbled off of Rex.

"Here, you're gonna need these." Marah shoved Dustin's morpher at him. "Hayley powered them up."

"Cool!" Dustin kissed her quickly before shoving her behind him. "Ninja Storm, Ranger Form! Power of Earth!"

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form! Crimson Thunder!"

"Navy Thunder!" Came Blake's call as he morphed and joined the battle beside Tori.

Zhane was very confused when the pink Space Ranger came to fight beside him. At least until she spoke.

"The next time you want to get into trouble, come up with something closer to home!" Karone told him. She glanced at her brother. "Ashley and the others are on their way."

Andros nodded, focusing once more on the battle. Slowly, they made their way towards where the girls had come in from. Once there, they were able to make a break for it. Even Tommy, who was still fighting Zeltrax and not the peons.

Outside, they found the rest of the female rangers battling not only the peons, but the monster that had kidnapped the male rangers in the first place. Once Kat caught sight of Jason, she went straight to him, shoving his morpher into his hand.

"Next time, don't leave it at home!" She told him, guarding his back while he morphed. Then they were both fighting their way back to the others.

Conner attacked the monster once he was in range. He saw a flash of yellow beside him, but wasn't certain which ranger it was until she spoke.

"I'm going to wait to yell at you for this," Kira told him, "only because Karise gets to have her say as well."

"I was trying to help you guys out!" He defended, recalling exactly how he'd been captured.

"Has it never occurred to you that we can take care of ourselves?" She snarked back.

They were fighting as they talked, which confused the monster as he couldn't see how they were able to do so.

"I know you guys can take care of yourselves!" Conner defended. "Just because I want to protect you doesn't mean I think you're defenseless!"

"Why do you think I need protecting?"

"I don't think you do, I want to. There's a difference!"

"How is it different?"

"Damn it Kira!" Conner struck the monster hard enough that he went flying backwards away from them. He turned to face his yellow teammate. "The difference is that I love you! I've been in love with you for ages now!" He yelled.

"You do?" Kira said, a bit stunned.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." Conner replied sullenly. "I promised you once that I would never lie to you and why would I lie to you about something like this?"

Before Kira could reply to that, the monster was back and trying to attack them again. Kira turned to him, un-morphed, and screamed in his face. He shattered, and so did the bat-like peons within range. Conner had just enough warning to cover his ears.

Those that had been fighting close to them picked themselves off the ground even with their ears still ringing. They saw that Conner had un-morphed as well. The two were still talking, although it looked as if the shouting match was over for now.

When Kira kissed him, it seemed that they were right. Jason shook his head.

"Those two are going to end up as bad as Tommy and Kim were at this rate." He commented.

Kat hit him upside the head for that. "Don't think you're off the hook mister, and don't go and try distracting m-" Jason stopped her by doing exactly what the younger generation was currently doing now that the peons were all gone and they were all alone on the battle field.

"And he was the one making that comment about me kissing you," Tommy told Kim as they saw their friends making out. "At least we waited until we were at the juice bar."

"Who says we have to wait?" She kissed him hard. "I was worried Handsome, so don't you _ever_ go and get kidnapped again or I'll let Hayley put you on zord duty for a year. Got me?"

"Got you," Tommy agreed, kissing her again.

"We're not finished black ranger!" Zeltrax yelled out, aiming his sword at them. "More of you don't matter. It just means that I have more of you to destroy!"

"He has a way of ruining the moment, doesn't he?" Kim remarked, loud enough for Zeltrax to hear.

Together, they called upon their powers and prepared to fight side-by-side once again. Zeltrax engaged both of them, a fatal mistake on his part. While against only Tommy they were more or less evenly matched, against the pair of them working together he didn't stand a chance. Especially since their Raptor Riders had a vested interest in their well-being.

Behind Zeltrax came more of the bat-like peons. The other rangers broke off their own reunions and engaged them in battle. Those who were non-rangers retreated back up to the ship, their parts done with. What they could do was make certain the med bay was ready to receive any wounded and have food ready for the men who probably hadn't had anything to eat for at least a day or so. The riders, however, remained behind.

Rex and Petra stayed beside Conner and Kira, helping them and keeping them from being separated. Dray, Trent's Rider, was giving his partner the speed that Trent normally lacked when it came to dodging out of the way. Brac and Steg were doing the same as their red and yellow counterparts. The others were pared up with either their partner or one of the guys whose partner wasn't a ranger.

Then everyone found themselves frozen as the unnamed woman from before walked out of the ship. She looked at all of them, seeming pleased with what she saw.

"I am Malifacent," she told them, "and I am the reason you are here."

"Isn't that the evil stepmother in _Sleeping Beauty_?" Conner whispered to Kira.

"I think so," Kira replied, "think she'll turn into a dragon?"

"I don't think dragon slaying is in the Ranger Handbook."

"Since when is there a handbook?"

"_Silence_!" Malifacent commanded.

"Release me so that I can have my revenge!" Zeltrax demanded.

She turned to him. "Fool. You have fulfilled you use to me." She sent a blast of power, barely missing Tommy and Kim as it hit Zeltrax and disintegrated him. "I have no use for fools." She turned to face the gathered rangers. "That said, it is time to be rid of you all as well."

"You know," spoke someone from above, "I think she forgot that rangers always come in _teams_." Several forms, already morphed, dropped down out of the sky.

"Or that they _always_ come for those missing." Karise was standing beside Ethan. "You took something of ours and we came to get them back."

"More rangers are of no matter. I shall simply destroy you all." Malifacent sneered. "Then there shall be nothing and no one left to stop me or any other evil force in the universe from doing as we wish."

"Now you sound like my mother." Karise told her. "You know what I found out? She is just as wrong as you are."

Malifacent growled and attacked Karise. The green Dino Thunder ranger obliged her, breaking her hold on whatever she had done that caused the others to be frozen in place. The rangers that had arrived with her had already gone to join their team members and were helping them get rid of the bat-like peons that just seemed to keep pouring out of the ship itself.

"We have to destroy the ship," Jack told his team. "Cruger sent me back with the explosives needed to do it."

"Right," the rest agreed. The SPD team separated and entered the ship. Inside, they split up to plant the explosives they held. Jack set the timer and sent them all back out.

Meanwhile, the rest of the rangers were finally making headway in getting rid of the peons. Karise was still fighting one-on-one with Malifacent.

"You have no idea of your own power, do you?" Malifacent sneered as she fought. "No, you'd waste it on the likes of those rangers."

"Everyone has power," Karise replied, "it's up to everyone how they use it."

"Join me," Malifacent coxed, changing tactics even as they continued to exchange blows. "Together, we could rule." She managed to knock Karise down and keep her down. "Think of it, no one would ever be able to use you again for some silly campaign to stop evil and protect a bunch of uncaring people."

"No thanks," Karise twisted under her and shoved before getting back to her feet. "You see, I've no interest in ruling anything. So what if people don't care? That doesn't change the fact that _I_ care about _people_."

"Idiot ranger," Malifacent threw a bolt of power at her. "You think people care about you, don't you? Haven't you learned yet that people are only there to use you for their own purposes? You think such things as love exists?" She sneered, summoning a staff of power into her hand. "What a little fool. Such beliefs shall be the end of you and all those you hold dear."

Conner saw the trouble his cousin was in. He knew she didn't have a weapon capable of fending off a staff. Her main weapon was a crossbow, meant for long range fighting. He glanced at Kira, who nodded.

"Go, we got it from here."

He wasted no time in racing over to where Karise was struggling to get up. He got there just in time to block the attack with his own staff.

"You forget," he parried another blow, "rangers always stick together. No matter what, we're a team."

Karise stood up and went to stand beside Conner. "Not only that, we're _family_, in more ways than one." The rest of the Dino Thunder team came to stand around the cousins.

"Face it," Kira told her, "you've been defeated."

"Never!" Malifacent snarled. She gathered the last of her power into her hands. "I shall have my revenge and I shall destroy you all even if I must go with you. Either way, evil will win! And I shall be the greatest of them all, for _I and I alone_ defeated the infamous Power Rangers!" She shot the energy blast towards them.


	17. Chapter 17

Now What?

Chapter 17

I Own Nothing!

To the little sister who keeps annoying me for updates: Here's the third newest chapter, now leave me alone so I can get other things done! Also, I have other stories, so go and read those!

* * *

At the same time, an un-morphed Sky sent out a shield to cover them. He was thrown back by the blast as it hit. The ship began to explode even as the dust from the blast began to settle. Syd was dragging him away.

"Come on, we've got to go before the entire thing goes!" She told him. The ships that had brought both teams of rangers were already teleporting them aboard.

"What happened?" The question was from Trip. The Time Force and Wild Force rangers had been brought to the same ship as the SPD team.

"I don't know," this from Billy, the Mighty Morphin' team, made up of a mix of all three generations to make an entire team except for pink, had come to the same ship. Kat had come with them, being the only Zeo ranger. "I saw the blast," he looked at Sky, "your shield was a good idea," he turned back to the rest of them, "but I didn't manage to see anything else before DECA and Alpha 5 began teleporting us up to the ships.

"I'm calling the other ship," Kat told them. "I know the others were preparing the med bay there for injuries. They would have been sent over there." She headed for the console.

Tommy and Kim appeared on the screen before she could touch anything. Both were clearly relieved to see them all accounted for but at the same time they still appeared worried.

"Oh no," Kat gripped Jason who had come up behind her. "What happened?"

"Karise," Kim was clearly shaken, "she took most of the blast meant for all of us. Conner and Kira got the rest of it, but they're already recovering."

"I don't want to seem uncaring," Jack spoke up, "but what about Malifacent?"

Tommy's eyes darkened. "She's gone…Andros has DECA scanning the blast sight just in case, but I saw our attack hit right after Karise went down. I doubt she had anything left to escape with."

"She was serious about killing herself in order to destroy us if she had to." Cole spoke up from where he had taken a seat. He had Alyssa in his lap, holding her as close as he could. He was deeply shaken. He had never come across anyone that bent on revenge that she would willingly destroy herself just to it sure that it would happen. Not even Master Org had been at that level of inhumanity.

Bridge was in much the same position as Cole was. Even with his entire body being covered with his ranger suite, he'd felt Malifacent's maliciousness and ill-intent. Z was clearly trying her hardest to keep him calm and offer what comfort she could. Sky and Syd were much the same, although Sky was exhausted from his shielding attempt. He'd never tired something like that before, at least not at that distance from himself and not that many people.

"What do you need us to do bro?" Jason spoke, breaking the silence that had settled over them since Cole had spoken.

"Make sure everyone gets home safely." Tommy replied. He looked over all the rangers gathered in front of him on the scene. "May the power protect you." He ended the transmission.

"Gods," Max sighed as he slid down the wall to sit down. Karise had been the one to locate him and get him back in touch with first Danny and then Merrick who had their morphers from Princess Shayla. Their sixth ranger had stayed to protect his princess, just in case the original creature returned for more people to use as leverage against the rangers. She'd reminded him of both his female teammates, and she agreed with him and Danny that rangers never gave up.

"Hey," Taylor was beside him, "she'll be fine. She's pulled through tougher things than this." Taylor and Alyssa had heard a great many things about the first female green ranger from her pink and yellow teammates. They'd seen her step up and speak up, despite that all of them had far more experience than she. She'd had a calming effect on all them, especially the female members of her own team and the fire ninja that was her friend and dating her white teammate.

"If she's anything like her cousin," Eric spoke up, "then she's too stubborn and cheeky to let a little scratch keep her down."

They all knew that such a blast was far more than a 'little scratch', but it helped to think about it that way. Besides, she had been right when she'd spoken. No matter the team or generation or time difference, rangers were all part of a family.

* * *

Conner, bandaged and patched up, sat beside the hospital bed that Karise, still unconscious and in far more bandaging than he'd ever seen, lay in. Kira was beside him. She was banged up as well, but first Karise and then he had blocked most of the blast before it could reach the others. Karise had gotten most of it though, and it showed.

"This is my fault," Trent said from where he sat with Nerina. It was only them in the infirmary. Ethan was out getting food for them while Tommy and Kim called the other ship.

"How is _this_ your fault?" Kira asked, voice hoarse from using her Petra Scream at the level she had.

"Mesagog is my father," Trent told them. "If I'd just told you all when I joined the team, then we wouldn't even be rangers at the moment. Karise wouldn't have to of lead in the rescue team and gotten hurt."

Conner felt himself flush with anger. Trent had been lying to them, all of them, for months. Yet there was no way this was his fault.

"I'm pissed at you for lying to us," he finally managed to speak. "But this isn't your fault. Jason, Dustin and the other Ninja Storm rangers, none of them had their powers. Not all of the other rangers were active either. Just us, we're the active team."

"In this time," Kira reminded them, trying to keep things level. Conner was in a raw enough emotional state as it was.

"In this time," Conner agreed, remembering the SPD rangers. "She'd have come after us anyway. You were there when she first came to taunt us in our cell. She just wanted revenge, because her daddy was the bad guy once upon a time and rangers defeated him."

"It's what rangers do," Kira added, "defeat the bad guys. This isn't your fault Trent. Karise will be the first to hit you for thinking it once she wakes up." Kira refused to think of it as an 'if'. Karise _would_ wake up.

"They're right," Nerina finally spoke. She touched him gently, making him look at her and see the love she held for him. "This isn't your fault. For not telling them about Mesagog, you were probably trying to protect your dad, hoping you could find a way to save him and they would never have to know, weren't you?"

Trent nodded, unable to say anything. That Nerina could still love him despite that he had done possibly the most un-ranger like thing he could think of…it eased the ache inside of him a bit.

"He can't control it or what Mesagog does. After all he's done for me, I didn't want to betray him. He's my father. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Anton Mercer is your dad," Conner looked at Karise. He'd do the same for her, he knew it. "I can understand wanting to protect him, but we can help you rescue him."

"You're a part of the team," Kira reminded him, "we help each other out, no matter what." She smirked at him, even though it hurt when she did so. "You still get to clean the zords for the next month though. All of them."

"By myself?" Trent remembered the joke they had played on him when he had first joined the team, even if they had come right back and stopped him before he'd actually tried to do so beyond his own zord. He still thought the T-Rex thought of him as a snack. Or maybe a toothpick…

"Oh, I'm sure for the first week or so Conner and Dr. O are going to be helping you." Nerina told him. "Hayley's rather put out that you three just had to go and get yourselves captured, not to mention she had to deal with all of us in various states of anger, worry, and annoyance."

"When the others called for help, it took Karise whistling to get everyone to shut up." Kira commented, leaning against Conner who wrapped his free arm around her. Mid-battle might not have been the best place for the beginning of their relationship, but that's how it had happened.

Nerina smiled. "That's nothing. I've seen her whistle in a crowded gym and silence everyone, teachers included." She settled against Trent. "Considering how quiet she normally is in school, no one but the soccer coach knew how loud she could be when she chose."

Conner snorted. "Some advice, never play any game with Karise in the woods. She'll always win."

Ethan entered at that point, bringing with him several trays of food. None of the older rangers were paying attention to what they were doing. They were making sure everyone was accounted for and getting them back home safely. Not to mention doing various things that needed to be done in the aftermath of a major ranger gathering.

"You know," Ethan spoke up when the silence had finally gotten to him, "one of these days, we're going to have to have a ranger gathering when nothing bad has happened, is happening, or will happen."

Trent snorted. "Good luck with that one."

* * *

Tommy was sitting in the hallway. His focus was internal and Kim had a feeling that it couldn't be good.

"Hey, mind telling me what's bothering you?"

"How are we going to explain this? Gods Kim, how did Zordon handle this kind of thing?"

"You mean besides the obvious?" Kim wrapped her arms around his waist. "None of us ever got hurt that badly. If we did get hurt, it was just accepted that we were in the wrong place at the wrong time when one of Rita or Zedd's monsters showed up. Alpha could pretty match patch us up more often than not."

"Still, I'm the one that gave them their powers. If I'd never found the gems…"

"Then the world would be out a team of rangers," Kim told him. "You gave them every option to turn away. If they'd wanted to, they would have. They didn't, just like every ranger before them didn't and clearly those that will come after them won't."

"Thanks Beautiful," Tommy kissed her on the forehead. "When did the pink Dino gem show up?"

Kim filled him in on what had happened during the time they had been held prisoner. "That's when Karise revealed the new Riders. Hayley is probably scanning every inch of code that makes up their programming at the moment.

"The Riders are another thing…I only original made up three of them. There shouldn't have been a fourth, much less three more after that." Tommy sighed again. "Sometimes I'm afraid that the whole project with Mercer is going further than anyone ever thought it would on its own and not all of it good."

"When did being rangers ever make sense?" Kim asked him. "Somehow, I don't think even Zordon ever saw the legacy going this far. Or maybe he did and that's why he chose those he did." She shushed him when Tommy opened his mouth to remind her of just how exactly he'd become a ranger. "If he didn't think you could do it, he never would have created the white ranger powers for you. Much less place you as the leader of three different teams."

"You're right, again." Tommy admitted. "I just hope that, in the end, they don't end up hating me. Karise could have died doing what she did, all three of them almost died today."

"We risk death every time we morph," she reminded him. "But that's the risk we take, to do what we have to do. If we weren't capable of doing that, the power never would have chosen us."

Kim was right and he knew it. Usually his doubts didn't eat at him like this, but when one of his teammates was hurt…they came to the fore with a vengeance. He didn't see anything he could do about it, other than give them their chance to be known and then dealing with them.

"Dr. O?" Ethan had been the one voted to find their missing teammates. "Kim?" He spotted them. "The others want to know how close we are to being home."

"I honestly don't know Ethan, ask DECA." Tommy replied.

"We are two-point-five hours away from being within range of teleporting you back to Reefside." DECA informed them.

"Whoa, still cool." Ethan replied. "Thanks DECA."

"You are welcome Ethan."

"Ethan, do you know where the Riders went?" Kim asked. She hadn't seen them since the battle field.

Ethan frowned. "I know Rap is guarding Karise…Do you know DECA?" He found the idea of an AI run ship interesting and he wished that he had more time to find out more about the ship and DECA.

"The Raptor Riders are in the hold." DECA replied. "Alpha 5 is studying them."

"We'll head there then. The others will keep watch over Karise and Andros will contact us when their ready to send us home." Tommy decided, bringing Ethan along with them. If their techno-geek teammate thought DECA was interesting, Tommy couldn't wait to see his reaction to Alpha.

* * *

Karise was confused. She was sore and she hurt. She knew she was still alive simply because she hurt too much to be dead. Where she was on the other hand was a different question. She didn't recognize the forest she was in.

Considering the last thing she knew was stopping the blast from hitting the others, suddenly being in a forest was disorientating.

"Hello?" She called out. "Conner? Kira?" she turned around in a slow circle. "Is anyone else out here?" She didn't see anyone. "Kim! Ethan! Dr. O! Trent!"

There was rustling in the bushes nearby. Karise stared at them. Rustling bushes usually meant that something was about to leap out at her. Stiffly, she prepared herself to receive and counter the attack.

"This isn't funny guys!" She called out; trying to keep an eye on her surroundings at the same time she was watching the bush.

This was coming far too close to the time her family had gone camping and her brothers had thought it would be funny to lose her in the woods. She had been lost for hours, getting into trouble for 'wondering off' and making her mother angry enough to actually do something in public. Which, she was convinced, had been her brothers' intent all along.

A flash of green and Karise did a sweep kick. She misjudged and ended up on her back. Her eyes widened as the raptor leaned over her with a hiss. When it sniffed her, she stiffened up. This was no Rider, something that didn't actually eat anything. As far as she could tell, this was a living, breathing raptor. Then it nudged her, crooning softly.

Relaxing just a little bit, she slowly lifted her hand and rubbed the raptor's snout. Just as she would one of the Riders. It leaned into her touch.

'_Rap_?' She sent gently, hoping she didn't startle the creature.

'_You're sick_,' came the response. '_You need to get better_.'

"How am I going to do that girl? I don't even know where I am." Karise replied aloud. She gently pushed Rap away, getting back up on her feet. She wavered, but Rap was there for her to lean on.

'_Follow me_,' Rap told her.

Since a real raptor was clearly not meant to be ridden, Karise followed. Sometimes Rap had to let her lean on her so the pace was slow. Eventually, they left the forest and came upon what could only be a zord graveyard.

"What is this place?" She spoke softly, gazing at the gigantic shapes that loomed out of the shadows they cast.

'_The resting place for all those that came before us. We'll be here one day, when our time is through._'

"What?" Karise stopped to look at her. She knew, realistically, that she wouldn't always be an active ranger. But still, that didn't mean she wanted to shut down the Riders or any of the other zords.

"She means, little one, that one day you shall all be here."

Karise looked up first, then she looked down. She blinked, staring at the _blade_ that had just spoken to her.

"Surely my former partner has mentioned me." The blade, or more accurately the hilt of the blade, spoke again. "Oh my, I seem to have startled you. I do apologize."

"Am I dead? I would have sworn I hurt too much to be dead." Karise closed her eyes, but when she opened them again she was still standing in the grave yard.

"You are still alive," the hilt told her. "I am known as Saba."

"Dr. O's sword when he was the white ranger!" Karise finished his introduction for him. She blinked again. "But, he said…those powers were gone. Destroyed shortly after Mrs. Scott joined the team and they became the Zeo rangers."

"Power cannot be destroyed," Someone new entered Karise's field of sight. "It merely changes."

Karise rubbed her eyes. "Zordon?" She hazard a guess.

Zordon smiled gently at her. Tommy had chosen his current team well, even if the gems had done the choosing. "Yes my dear, I am he."

"I think I need to sit down." Karise collapsed more than she sat, head cradled in her hands.

Rap crooned in distress, worried about her ranger partner. With Karise's addition to the team, the Riders had become something akin to the Ninjetti animal spirits. The reason they all so readily listened and obeyed Karise was because her spirit animal _was_ a raptor.

"I don't understand, what is going on here?"

"You sacrificed yourself in order to protect your team." Zordon explained. "Your physical body is currently aboard the Astro Megaship, slowly healing itself."

"So this is a kind of limbo?" Karise hazard another guess.

"Of a kind," Zordon nodded. "Your spirit needs just as much healing as your body does, if not more. So, you were brought here."

"I can't stay," she told him. "My family needs me."

"Do you not mean your team needs you?"

"My team _is_ my family," Karise replied without hesitation. "I have the power to help them, and that is exactly what I am going to do." She stood up. She hurt. She was tired and sore to the point where she knew she could easily sleep for a week. "I trust them, and I know, despite my faults and secrets, they trust me too. I refuse to let them down."

Zordon nodded. "I see and understand why the gem chose you to be its guardian. Your road shall never be easy to travel."

"It's never been easy," she replied. "I don't see how anyone who's ever been a ranger can have an easy way of it even after they give up their power." She looked at him, meeting his eyes. She was a bit surprised that she didn't feel a greater sense of awe at being face-to-face with the man who had mentored her heroes. "Once a ranger, always a ranger, even if you don't have your powers anymore." Her eyes widened. "Because power is energy and you can't destroy energy."

Meeting the young woman's eyes without blinking, he smiled again. "Very good, never forget that."


	18. Chapter 18

Now What?

Chapter 18

I Own Nothing!

* * *

"OW!" Karise came to in a haze of pain. She felt more than saw people buzzing around her. She could hear someone shouting orders, but it was all muddled. She couldn't open her eyes, the lights were too bright and her head hurt from even thinking about it.

Hissing sounded from beside her and she reached out to feel cool metal instead of pebbled skin. Rap nudged her hand, reassuring her ranger partner that she was still there. She felt herself slipping again and she didn't fight it. This time however, it was just black. No weird graveyards or conversations with dead people.

Conner glanced at Dana, the ranger Dr. O had called once they had been back in Reefside. That was the first time Karise had woken up in two days.

"This is good," Dana told him, knowing from experience how upsetting having a sibling in the hospital could be. Not that this was a hospital, since it would be hard to explain why there was a mechanical raptor constantly in the room and hissing at anyone she (as Dana and Carter had been informed upon their arrival) didn't know.

"How can her being in pain be good?" Conner was reigning in his anger.

"It means that her nerves aren't damaged, they're in pain but that means that they're working like they should be." Dana explained. "Her waking up, even for a little bit, means she's not in a deep coma. Her body is just keeping itself asleep so that it can heal."

Conner nodded, knowing that Dana had definitely dumb down the explanation for him. Not that he cared, but at least he understood what she was saying.

Dana gave an inward sigh. If she thought he'd listen, she would order him to leave. As it was, he'd just sneak back in when she wasn't looking. Tommy and the others had dragged him out to do things, but inevitably he ended up right back where he was now. Sitting beside Karise, his own Rider beside him, waiting for some sign that she was going to wake up and be alright.

At that moment, the alarm went off and Conner basically disappeared. Dana sighed. Except for when that went off and Kira came in to badger him and drag him out, Conner was always there. She finished what she was doing and went to tell Hayley, Nerina, and Carter, since they would be the only three present for now, how Karise was doing.

* * *

The next time Karise woke up, there was no one but Rap beside her. She could faintly hear four voices, only two of which she recognized, and from them she gathered that the other rangers were out battling one of Elsa's monsters and Elsa herself. She heard someone telling Nerina that this wasn't something she could help with and someone else informing 'Carter' (whoever that was) that it wasn't their fight either.

"It is mine," Karise spoke softly to Rap. "It's our fight." She looked around. The other Riders were there, watching her.

As she stood up and began moving around finding clothing (a bit dusty from sitting in a chair and clearly Conner's and not hers), pulling it on stiffly because her skin felt tight, she listened as the Riders explained what had been going on since the battle with Malifacent.

"A week?" she whispered softly, finding the water bottle Conner must have left when the alarm sounded. "Somethin' tells me I've missed quite a bit then." She turned to them.

It felt odd wearing red instead of green and black, but she was not going to be running outside in nothing more than a bed sheet and hospital gown. Her skin was tight because there were a few small new scars and healed skin, almost as if from burns. The scars weren't going to bother her. Looked at in the right light, they looked like badly healed scratches, so she had a decent, believable excuse for them.

"Ready to go?" Karise knew the second someone heard her, they would all be coming back. They would stop her from going to help, and she _knew_ her team needed her help.

She was not the best ranger. That was Dr. O. She was not the oldest ranger. That was Kim (who had had her powers before Dr. O). She did not have the experience or the knowledge of the others in fighting (except for Conner), that was the others. What she did have was the ability to command the Riders, something that made them amazingly useful for the entire team.

Rap, with the help of Rex and Petra, got Karise onto her back. Quietly, all seven of the Riders snuck out of the stable portion of the base. Once they were outside, Karise morphed. The power filled her and she smiled under her helmet. What her body and the inherent ranger healing hadn't already fixed, morphing had. At least temporarily. She was going to need a nap after this.

"Let's go!"

* * *

Conner grunted as the monster, Jeroketen (who resembled a duck, only with fangs, claws, rabbit ears, lion's tale, and colored in various disturbing shades of puke gray and orange), tossed him aside again. He and the other three were trying to fend him off while Dr. O and Kim were fending off the drones that had shown up in hoards.

Elsa was watching the battle field, but none of them had yet to have the chance to engage her. She also hadn't left yet, which meant she was waiting for something.

"Oh man," Ethan groaned as Conner helped him up, "we're getting our asses handed to us out here."

"He knows enough not to let us get close enough together to form the Z-Rex blaster." Trent managed to get out as he picked himself up. Conner had already gone back to help Kira and hopefully keep her from getting a flying lesson as well.

Ethan nodded. "Or to let Kira and I power up the Shield."

"Raptor Arrow Barrage!"

They looked at each other. There was no way…they turned to look.

Sure enough, their green teammate had come to join the battle. With her had come the Riders who were already making a pathway through the drones. Karise herself was standing on an outlook, Rap beside her.

Elsa turned to look at where the attack had come from. "Ah, just who I was waiting for." She approached to engage Karise in battle.

"Rap, go help the others," she commanded. "No, I can, I have to do this on my own. Go help the others show these wanna be dinos why raptors are the scariest dinosaurs ever."

Only with what was clearly great reluctance did Rap leave to join the others in freeing the Pink and Black rangers from fighting the drones. Karise turned to Elsa.

"You aren't going to win." She spoke softly, but there was strength in her voice.

"You really think they'll come to your rescue?" Elsa sneered. "They're too busy with what I've already thrown at them. Even with your little pets helping them, you'll be dead before they get anywhere close to helping you."

Karise shrugged, readying herself to face Elsa. "I'm not afraid to die for my friends, but you aren't going to kill me. Not now, not ever."

Elsa struck, lashing out with her sword. Karise blocked with her crossbow, dodging to the side and away. She led Elsa around in a circle, dodging and not attacking. This just proved to irritate Elsa more, making her fight using her entire body. These Karise parried and exchanged blow for blow.

It wasn't until both of them had stopped using their main weapon that Elsa realized what Karise had done. She had put them on fairly even footing. This, if anything, infuriated her. Karise was forcing her to play fair; something Elsa hated doing because that meant that, somewhere inside her, there was part that was good. That liked playing fair.

Spinning away from Karise, Elsa summoned her sword again. Karise didn't have time to block the incoming swing, so she ducked down and crossed her arms over her head. Elsa's blade hit, but a clear metallic ring brought them all to a halt.

Karise looked up, fearing to see that Rap had come to her rescue and been slain. Instead, she was met with a sight she didn't expect. There was an odd looking dagger in her hand, shaped like a raptor claw. It held Elsa's sword between hilt and blade.

Elsa was clearly as surprised by the appearance of the blade as the rangers were. She disengaged, getting out of range from the shorter blade. Karise climbed back to her feet. She wavered, unsteady, and Elsa took advantage of that moment.

Karise, however, dodged and blocked. She _knew_ how to use a blade like the one she had. If Hayley had designed a sword or staff for her, she'd have been flailing around with it. A long dagger, however, was enough like the dancing blades she knew to fit into the dance she was now doing.

Elsa growled, side-stepping to avoid the blade and ending up stepping right into Karise's kick. She went sailing backwards.

"You haven't seen the last of me green ranger!" She summoned a portal and disappeared along with the defeated drones, leaving the monster behind.

Jeroketen giggled madly as he sent another wave of energy at the rangers that bowled them over. Karise was already making her way towards them, unsteady but determined. The Riders, with no more drones to play with, went after Jeroketen. Even as he blasted them away, Karise was able to get to the others and join her weapon (the crossbow) with the rest of theirs.

"Z-Rex Blaster Ultimate mode!" They shot an energy blast that shattered Jeroketen into lumps.

Once again in typical fashion, Elsa enlarged Jeroketen and the rangers destroyed him again. Only this time with their zords, just as they did with all of the previous monsters, and just as they would do to the next monster.

* * *

Conner ended up carrying his cousin back to base. She looked almost tiny in his clothing, he thought before depositing her back in the bed that had been set up for her in the stable. The Riders had already gathered there, waiting for them.

"At this rate, she's never going to get better," Kira said softly. "How did she even know we were fighting?"

Conner returned to her side. "Not even I know the answer to that. The Riders probably told her. Or she just sensed that we needed help, like she did with Oinker."

Kira frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He means," Dr. O spoke up from behind them, "that Karise, before she received her morpher, went after Oinker right after he had doused you four with the green gunk. She's the one that came up with the solution to free you."

Conner shrugged. "She's always been like that. Ever since Eric and I met her."

"And the telepathy thing?" Kira asked, remembering how Karise had found the guys.

Conner shrugged again, uncomfortable now. This was getting dangerously close to spilling secrets he had promised not to tell.

_Go ahead and tell them Conner._

He jumped and turned to face the sleeping form of his cousin.

_I am sleeping, but your emoting really loudly. Just go ahead and tell them. They can interrogate me later. Just…wanna…sleep…now…_ She faded out of his mind just as her breathing leveled off.

Conner shook his head, feeling extremely confused at the moment. "She said I could tell you." He told them, explaining why he had jumped the way he had. He was frowning, hard.

"Hey, jock," Kira nudged him, "watch it or your face will freeze that way."

He grinned. "Wouldn't want that, would we?"

"You'd certainly never be getting kissed again," she replied, grinning herself.

Tommy stepped back with his head shaking. No wonder Karise had been so adamant about getting the red and yellow rangers together. Within seconds, Kira had Conner back to his usual self. Kim came up behind him, wrapping her arm around his waist as his went around her shoulders.

"Dana and Carter are getting ready to leave after Dana gets the chance to look over Karise one more time." She told him. "She's going to do it now, before Karise has a chance to wake up and sneak out again."

Tommy snorted, amused. "I take it she isn't happy?"

"That my patient got up after nearly a week and a half of being unconscious, went out to fight, nearly got killed again, and looks like she's just sleeping?" Dana had come up behind them. "You're right, I'm _not_ happy, but I'm used to it with my ranger patients. I can't threaten all of them like I do Carter."

Kim smiled, sharing a look with Dana. Both knew exactly how their individual partners acted when they were hurt or sick and exactly how to deal with them when they were. Dana smiled back. Carter exchanged a long-suffering look with Tommy.

Looking around, Tommy realized something. "Where did the others go?" Ethan, Trent, Nerina, and Hayley weren't in sight.

"Hayley said something about Zord duty?" Carter replied, curious as well.

"Speaking of that," Kim looked at him, "Aren't you and Conner supposed to be helping with that?"

Tommy began to protest, but Kira coming towards them pushing Conner in front of her stopped him. Kim just looked at him, daring him to say anything. The longest serving ranger in history sighed and followed after the two teens, waving Kira away and leading Conner with him.

"Don't say a word," Dana told Carter, who looked as if he wanted to snicker. "If that woman had come after you and managed to get you like she did the others, you'd be right out there with them."

Carter closed his mouth and suppressed every urge he had to either laugh or protest. His wife was clearly serious and he knew better than to do anything that would sentence _him_ to zord duty. _Their_ zords probably needed a through maintenance check and he doubted Dana would hesitate to make him do it, by himself, if he didn't obey her now.

Kira watched them. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Practice," both pink rangers replied. They shared a grin and Dana let Kim explain while she checked Karise over.

"Years of practice," Kim told her, "but don't worry. It's been discovered that ranger men take far less time to train than normal guys are."

"Any pointers?"

Carter pressed himself against the wall. He had absolutely no desire to hear this conversation. In fact, he should really go see if the others wanted any help with the zords…yea, they probably did.

Dana smirked when she saw Carter disappear to wherever it was the zords were kept. There was usually nothing that got rid of men, any men, faster than discussions that were entirely meant for feminine ears only.

* * *

"So, what did Karise want you to tell us exactly?" Kira brought up the subject again as she, Kim, Nerina, and Hayley watched the guys working on the zords.

"I guess," he frowned again, "I guess everything that I do know. Karise keeps secrets even from me, depending on what they are. I _am_ a guy. There are some things I just don't need to know." He looked at Kira, knowing that that had been one of their first conversations as an official couple. He grinned when she blushed.

"Yea, yea, okay jock, get on with it already." Kira told him, ignoring the snickers from the other guys. She glared at them, glad that Dr. O was mostly ignoring their banter. Nerina was glaring at Trent.

"Is that going to be a conversation _we_ need to have?" She asked him, watching as his face paled and he rapidly shook his head.

At that point Ethan copied Dr. O. He didn't even want to think about what the girls could come up with to torture him with. When he'd mentioned that they (the guys) and never done anything to the girls when and if they got captured, Kira had rejoined that that was because it was 'macho' for the guys to come 'running to the rescue'. Added to the fact that the person behind the kidnappings had been a woman as well, that was just a bit of insult to injury for the entire situation.

"The first time I met Karise," Conner got them back on track, "I was six, she was four. The entire family had gotten together, I don't remember why. Karise is pretty much the only girl, bar the moms and a few great aunts. Unlike the other two-thirds that make up her trio of triplets, she wasn't interested in being petted and begging for treats in the kitchen." At the looks of confusion everyone was giving him, he backed up. "Karise, John, and Jeff are triplets. I know," he held his hand up, "they don't look anything alike. Karise wasn't even expected. According to my uncle," Conner's face went dark at the thought of his dad's twin, "she was a surprise after the 'twins' were born and spent the first three days in an incubator. She almost died, but she proved then that she could survive just about anything."

Kim nodded. She'd heard similar stories from Karise herself. She _had_ known the girl since she was eight or so.

"Anyway, I didn't hear her actually speak until the third day she was at my house. The first time I heard her speak, it was in my head that first day. Eric heard her too," he answered Dr.O's question before his mentor could ask it. "I was too surprised to answer, so Eric told her she could join our team so that things would be even. Her brothers, the older three, complained because she was a girl and younger then all of us." He blushed and looked down, rubbing his head. "I told them to shut up and that girls could play soccer to. Mom played with us all the time, so I didn't see that there was a problem." He grinned. "Even then she was a great goalie. We won that game, but I didn't find out until recently that they hit her once they got her alone after because she helped us win by stopping their goals from going in."

"I knew those little twerps were trouble." Kim grumbled. She rarely disliked people, those trying to take over the world and attempting to kill her and those she cared about in the process notwithstanding. She couldn't stand Karise's brothers.

Conner nodded in agreement with her assessment. "Karise has scars running from her feet up to about midway up her back. I've seen most of them now, and so has Dad. Dana's probably seen all of them by now."

"So that's why she's always in pants?" Ethan asked, a bit stunned. He'd been thinking that Karise hated skirts and just generally didn't like showing off bare legs. Which was partially true, he backtracked, and a common enough reason to his mind.

Conner nodded. Nerina looked at them as they absorbed what Conner was telling them.

"I met Karise a little bit earlier than Conner did," she spoke up in the quiet. "And, no offense Conner, but I have spent more time with her." She looked at him. "I still don't know her half as well as you do, because she trusts you more than anyone, and if you break that trust they will never find your ashes." Conner nodded in understanding. "Karise is extremely secretive, and well practiced at hiding things. She does not trust easily, nor does she let people inside her heart." She gazed at them all. Hayley and Kim watched as a similar look crossed her face as before when the gem had appeared. "Somehow, you all have managed to be let in. It took me nearly a year and a half to get her to trust me, and in the end it's because we saved each other that our friendship has lasted and will last."

Conner started. He knew, from vague mentions by Karise, what Nerina was speaking of. "The grass fire, you started it."

"I did," Nerina nodded. "It was an accident, one that led to my joining the Fire Academy. My parents did not expect my powers to awaken as early as they did, nor in such a way. Karise rescued me from being burned up, and I got her out of the fire zone." Nerina held up her hand. There was a burn scar, lancing her right palm in half. "Karise bares a matching scar on her left hand."

"Sisters born of fire, friends born of heart." Kim quoted something Karise had said to her once in explanation of why the two were so close even though they fought like cats and dogs sometimes.

Nerina nodded. "Exactly."

Conner realized then, in that moment, that he had an ally on his side in helping Karise come to terms that she was not at fault for what had been done to her.

"Karise doesn't even tell me everything," Conner continued. He explained about her uncanny ability to disappear in the woods, about her liking girls instead of guys (even though most of them had already figured that one out), and anything else he could think of that Karise would define as 'secret'.

"I don't want to bring this up," Trent spoke calmly once Conner was finished, "but what about the trial? Is there going to be one? Can Karise even press charges?"

"Dad is," Conner answered, "and they already recorded Karise's testimony during the exam-thing with her scars."

"Having a perfect memory has to suck," Ethan spoke softly. His memory was good, but now he knew why Karise tended to always win against him at air hockey. "Just how smart is she exactly?"

Nerina chuckled. "If Karise wanted to be, she'd be in college right now, probably finishing up at least one degree if not two. She doesn't want to be, and she didn't dare let her family know just how smart she is."

"That was one of the questions brought up in the interview," Conner added in. "Karise will do anything to protect those around her, even if they don't care anything for her. If she hadn't been there, my aunt told her she would take it out on Greg, who doesn't have a twin either." Conner snorted. "Empty threat, but Karise isn't one to take chances with other people."

"No," Nerina snorted, "just herself. I think every survival instinct she has is geared towards everyone but herself."


	19. Chapter 19

Now What?

Chapter 19

I OWN NOTHING BUT OCs AND PLOT!

* * *

The remainder of the summer went by much like the previous school year had. Monsters attacked on almost a daily basis, only to eventually be defeated by the rangers. Tommy trained them, they did their own things, they hung out together, and Ethan was still trying to defeat Karise at air hockey.

The biggest events that occurred during the summer were the trial of Karise's mother and the announcement of Tommy's engagement to Kim.

The girls were ecstatic when told they could help their pink teammate plan the wedding. The boys, unless under threat, stayed out of their way. Nerina and Hayley joined in, sometimes turning the ranger headquarters into planning central during quiet times. They figured it was the safest place to plan.

Unlike the wedding plans, the trial took the opposite side of the coin. Karise had asked them to remain outside the courtroom, embarrassed enough already. She hadn't wanted them to see or hear anything her biological family threw at her. She'd asked the prosecutor if it would be possible to keep her brothers from being present, but had been told that they were all being called as witnesses on behalf of their mother. When the prosecutor told her that, Karise had been shaken.

The woman prosecuting the case however was not going to let it slide. Instead, she had dragged the entire ranger team, her aunt, uncle, and Eric, the soccer coach, and Jason Scott into the court room as her own character witnesses on Karise's behalf. Karise had been glad for that in the end as she ended up squished between Conner and Eric throughout the trial.

She hadn't known that they were going to be showing picture and video evidence not related to her own testimony or physical exam. She'd had nightmares for weeks with the added knowledge that her mother had taken pictures and recorded some of the 'punishment sessions'. As if her own memory hadn't been enough, knowing that her friends, family, and mentors had to witness it made them worse.

For the first time since she'd been six, she'd slept curled up with Conner in his room unable to sleep otherwise. Every day for two weeks, she was grateful that they had actual monsters to fight.

At the end of two weeks, Nicole McKnight had been found guilty of one count of child abuse, not attempted murder, and given ten years in prison with mandatory counseling. She'd also been served with a restraining order that would keep her from contacting Karise until Karise herself made contact or she turned twenty-one. No one had celebrated the 'victory' of a guilty verdict, Karise had just been glad it was over.

The consequences of such a verdict were already being felt. Her father and brothers wanted nothing to do with her and had even gone so far as to begin steps to disown her. Sam had been made her permanent guardian and had already started the process of adopting her formally as his daughter. Aria, although divorced from Sam for years, had agreed to help him get the adoption to go through. That, they agreed, would be worth celebrating.

The others, sometimes to Karise's annoyance, had decided that she was to go nowhere alone either before or after the trial. Even so, near the end of summer break, Karise found herself alone in their base.

_Why are you still sad?_

Karise looked up at Rap from her position on the floor. _Because it still hurts, because even after everything, I thought they loved me just a little bit. Having a belief like that, for so long, irrevocably shattered, hurts._

_I do not understand. Do you need a bandage?_ Images of the med-kit flashed across their bond. Karise giggled softly.

_No, this isn't the kind of hurt that can be helped by a bandage._ She explained. _There isn't a bandage for this kind of hurt, it has to heal on its own._

_Will it not get infected?_ Rap was clearly confused.

_Not in the way you're thinking of,_ Karise assured her. _It will only get infected if I let it and I'm not letting it._

_Then how do you know if it is healed? Will it not hurt anymore?_

_In a way it won't, but I know it's healing because I have friends like you and family like Conner._ Karise reached up and hugged the Rider, letting the creature pull her to her feet. "It will just take time, like all hurts take time to heal." She sighed. "And it will always hurt a little, but that's just the way it tends to work. I wouldn't be human if I didn't feel pain."

Rap nuzzled her affectionately. _Time to run now?_

"Not yet, but soon." Karise promised. "Now, I have to go and talk to Kim and Dr. O."

She wondered upstairs, looking for her mentors. She found them talking in the kitchen about moving plans. Kim would be leaving shortly, again, this time to finalize the movement of her business to Reefside from San Francisco and the close out of her apartment.

"Hey, um, can I ask you both something?" She hadn't meant to interrupt.

"Go ahead Karise," Tommy nodded to her, waving toward a free chair as he took the one beside Kim. "What is it you need?"

"When I was unconscious, I had a really weird dream." Karise began. "I meant to ask about it before now, but with everything going on…"

"It got pushed aside," Kim finished for her, nodding in understanding. "What was it that made it weird?"

"I'm pretty certain I met people it wasn't possible to meet," Karise explained. "I was in a lot of pain, but Rap was there, only she looked like an actual raptor." She explained what had gone on in her dream.

"A zord graveyard?" Tommy asked, slightly amused by the idea. He could just imagine Hayley and Billy going wild in such a place, being able to take a look at all of the zords that had been destroyed or retired.

"Saba says hi," Karise replied with a grin, "surprised me when he started talking and then apologizing for surprising me."

Tommy grinned. Yes, his old partner had been very…proper. He sometimes wondered if Zordon and Alpha 5 hadn't gotten the inspiration for Saba from _Batman_, especially since Saba had had a British accent.

"Then Zordon, at least I thought it was him, showed up. He said he was Zordon." Karise looked slightly unsure of herself.

"Zordon?" Kim and Tommy both sat up. "What did he say?"

"He talked about power, and how it was energy and energy couldn't be destroyed." Karise shrugged, still unsure. "I think it was a hint about something, but I don't know what."

"It can't be destroyed, but it can be released," Tommy said, mostly to himself as he thought about it. "That was how the Ninja Storm team originally defeated Lothor."

Kim and Karise looked at him, unsure what he meant. Karise finally shook her head.

"I need to go, Uncle Sam is taking Conner and I school shopping." She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Not wanting to return to class so soon?" Tommy asked her, amused by her reaction.

"No, I hate shopping." Karise replied, already headed towards the door. "You'd think just getting two of everything would be simple and not drag us along," she muttered to herself as she left.

Kim snickered. "Come on Handsome, we have our own shopping we need to do." She dragged him upstairs.

* * *

The first day of senior year found Kira and Karise occupied at one of the picnic tables along with Nerina. The fire ninja had decided to stick around Reefside to help Trent find a way to save Anton from Mesagog. Right now, however, they were discussing what Karise had discussed with Zordon in her dream.

"As basic science, it doesn't mean much." Nerina shook her head. "I think we need to think in more mystical terms, maybe, or a cross between the two."

"We're not going to have to go _Harry Potter_ or _Charmed_ are we? Cause that might officially make this to weird to be real." Kira told them, glancing up at her friends.

A sudden explosion of noise makers, confetti poppers, and streamers sounded from nearby. It was followed by a scream of rage. The three girls grinned, hastily getting up to see the aftermath.

Principal Randal was covered in multicolored, sparkling confetti and glitter. Strands from the streamers stuck to her as well. As if to add insult to injury, action figures of the various monsters that the rangers had defeated were scattered around the woman. Nerina had added in that touch after she had heard Karise comparing the woman to Elsa.

"Oh my God," Kira's eyes were wide. She hadn't expected that outcome. "She looks really pissed guys."

Karise nodded. "I think we overdid it a bit with the confetti. I didn't think there'd be that much…Nerina what did you use, gunpowder?"

"Something similar," Nerina admitted, "but I didn't think it would react like that! It's not meant to do anything but provide a flashy boom and some smoke."

"You three!" Randall had spotted them. "Front and center, now!"

The three girls gulped. They weren't the only students present, seeing as just about everyone, teachers included, had come to see what had caused the principal to scream as if she were killing something.

"Is that what I think it is?" Karise hissed, nudging Kira as they slowly walked towards Randall. "Look inside!"

"Invisoportal," Kira hissed. "We're doomed."

"That explains what happened to the powder," Nerina muttered. "How do we get out of this?"

"Well, we could run." Karise suggested. "Lead her away from the rest of the students."

"Looks like Dr. O is coming, how do we warn him?" Kira asked, knowing they couldn't go any slower. Randall already looked as if she was going to yell at them again in a second.

"You have to ask?" Karise muttered. "Guide me," she felt Nerina grip onto her arm as her eyes closed.

_DR. O! There's an Invisoportal in her office!_

For his part, Tommy didn't jump when he heard Karise. Instead, he tried to placate his boss to keep her from punishing the girls without proof. Although, by their guilty looks and slow walk of impending doom, they were probably responsible. He thought he was succeeding.

At least until she realized that they had noticed the portal in her office.

"Well, now I don't have to hold back." She lashed out, Tommy dodging her blow.

"Whoa, can't we talk about this?" Tommy leapt back, wondering what the repercussions of fighting his boss on school grounds were.

Not that he had to worry for long when she changed from Principal Randall to Elsa. The girls went from heading towards them to helping the boys try and usher the other students back into the school.

"It's been fun, but consider this my resignation," Elsa disappeared.

"Not good," Tommy said to himself, "not good at all."

* * *

"What were you thinking!" He asked the girls later after school was over and they were all in the lair.

"It was only meant to be a prank," Karise explained, "we knew she'd get mad, but we didn't include the Invisoportal in the calculations."

"That just kind of made it…worse." Kira summed up. "Not that we thought we'd have to take the portal into account. We thought we were just kidding when we compared Principal Randall to Elsa."

"In our defense," Nerina added in, "we could have gone with their original idea of a list of monsters and why there were inadequate."

"What possessed you three to prank her of all people?" Tommy asked, not having even gotten to the part of the lecture on how their behavior reflected poorly on their status as rangers.

"Honestly?" Karise looked at her two partners in crime. "We wanted to see if we could get her to give a positive reaction to something in the aftermath. I mean, no one was hurt and no one would have been hurt."

"And how did you know that?" Tommy asked, curious despite himself.

"We may or may not have practiced on the boys." Nerina admitted.

Tommy looked at them. "Tell me this honestly, Kira, were you two behind the list last year?"

"Yes," both girls chorused.

"The missing animal posters?"

"Maybe some of them."

"Jelly bean waterfalls in the supply closets?"

"Possibly."

"Replacing all of the coffee in the teacher's lounge with decaf?"

"Did we do that one?" Karise looked at Kira.

"I don't think that was us." Kira replied.

Tommy shook his head again. "At least tell me you didn't use any ranger abilities while you did your pranks."

"We'd never," Karise was shaking her head, eyes wide.

"Dr. O, we didn't." Kira said at the same time.

Both girls appeared horrified at the suggestion. Tommy doubted they would lie about that. They were both responsible girls, for the most part. Nerina was agreeing with them.

"Ninja powers?" He asked.

"Possible, a few times when we needed to hide," Nerina admitted. "And I supplied the smoke powder for today's prank."

"Pranks," Kira muttered.

Tommy looked at them. "What other pranks were there?"

"Some of the jocks lockers were rigged to smoke out in the locker rooms," Karise told him.

"The stink bombs in the boys' locker room?" Tommy looked at them.

"No, that was someone else." Karise told him. "We wanted to smoke them out for bullying some of the younger students, not _stink_ them out. Our guys have to use that room to."

Tommy sighed. "Anything else I should know about?"

The three girls exchanged looks.

"I don't think so…" Kira trailed off, not coming up with anything.

"No, that was pretty much all we had set up." Karise admitted. Nerina just shrugged.

"Alright," Tommy had never faced this particular problem before. "No more pranks, period, on anyone."

"So what's our punishment?" Karise asked with a winch.

"Seeing as no one got hurt," he eyed them, "did they?"

All of them shook their heads. None of their pranks had been meant to cause harm, just irritation and general amusement with (hopefully) minimal embarrassment. Except for Randall that morning, none of the pranks had even been targeted towards anyone specifically.

"Very well, outside for extra practice and then you're all on monitor duty for the next month." Tommy told them. "And I meant it, no more pranks."

At that moment, someone yelped outside. The three girls exchanged confused looks before running off.

"Shit," Karise cursed as she tried to stifle her giggles.

"Oh my," Nerina stared at the poor boys.

"I thought we'd deactivated that one?" Kira was also trying to stifle giggles.

"I forgot that one was even there, it's the leftovers from this morning." Karise let go and giggled. "I don't remember activating it."

All three boys were covered in glitter and confetti. Ethan was standing there with the remains of the string of shooters in his hands. His thumb had triggered it and was still resting on it, Karise noted.

"Then again, I think they did it manually." She waved towards Ethan.

"So not cool," the boy whined.

"Really?" Trent tried to brush it off only to make it worse.

"Why?" Conner stared at his girlfriend and cousin as they laughed. "Why did you leave it where'd it be found?"

"I forgot it was there!" Karise told him. "I'm sorry."

"I'll go get the vacuum," Nerina giggled, going to try and help Trent.

He smirked, tossing some at her. She shrieked and dashed away. The Hispanic boy gave chase, tossing handfuls of the stuff on her whenever he could.

"Don't even think about it!" Kira yelped as she took off, away from Conner as the soccer player gave chase.

"Oh no, you set it off!" Karise told Ethan, stepping away from him.

"Come on, it's even green," he teased her, going after her.

Tommy stood on his front porch, shaking his head. _Ladies and Gentlemen_, he thought to himself,_ the protectors of planet Earth, please ignore the glitter and childish antics._


	20. URGENT!

Make sure to copy and paste the petition below to make it your own story... We need this petition going around through everyone who is an active member on FF.

The administrators are, as of June 4th, going to be taking down Fics that have lemons or have extreme violence. Now I don't know about you but I think that's stupid. There are many wonderful fics that only have one or two lemons in them yet the plot itself is awesome! You can't just take down a 100,000+ word fic just because it has a lemon in a chapter that is only 1000 words long. Now I urge you all to read the petition below, sign it, and repost this to your own fics. Hopefully if we make enough noise everything will return to normal. Thank you.

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many others, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply hasn't been added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be losing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

Psudocode_Samurai

Rocketman1728

dracohalo117

VFSNAKE

Agato the Venom Host

Jay Frost

SamCrow

Blood Brandy

Dusk666

Hisea Ori

The Dark Graven

BlackRevenant

Lord Orion Salazar Black

Sakusha Saelbu

Horocrux

socras01

Kumo no Makoto

Biskoff

Korraganitar the NightShadow

NightInk

Lazruth

ragnrock kyuubi

SpiritWriterXXX

Ace6151

FleeingReality

Harufu

Exiled crow

Slifer1988

Dee Laynter

Angeldoctor

Final Black Getsuga

ZamielRaizunto

Fenris187

blood enraged

arashiXnoXkami

Masane Amaha's King

Blueexorist

Nero Angelo Sparda

Uzunaru999

Harry1817

EarthDragonJd

WolfDragonGod

NerdyLyssa

Faberry's-Knight

Magemaster


End file.
